Man jailed for molesting sleeping woman on plane

BOSTON (Reuters) - A business executive was sentenced on Thursday to seven years in prison for sexually assaulting a sleeping woman seated next to him on a Delta Air Lines flight from Dallas to Boston.

A statement from the U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts said that on April 5, Deepak Jahagirdar, 55, laid a blanket over the 22-year-old woman who was returning from a vacation, unfastened her seat belt, unbuttoned her pants and assaulted her by touching her genitals.

"The woman immediately pulled Jahagirdar's hand from her pants and fled to the rear of the aircraft where she reported the assault to the flight crew," it said.

The crew alerted four U.S. Secret Service Agents who were on board the flight, returning from an assignment in Texas.

The plane was met by state police in Boston but Jahagirdar briefly tried to escape by trying to flee in the walkway between the plane and the airport.

Skin cells taken from Jahagirdar, an Arizona man whom authorities said did not know the woman, showed a "significant quantity of the victim's DNA was present on his hands" after the incident, the statement said.

After his release, Jahagirdar must pay a $25,000 fine and be supervised by authorities for two years.

US Dept of Justice - Press Release - ARIZONA BUSINESS EXECUTIVE CONVICTED FOR AIRLINE SEXUAL ASSAULT

Boston, MA... A Scottsdale, Arizona man was convicted today in federal court for the sexual assault of a woman sleeping in the seat next to him aboard a Delta Air Lines flight from Dallas to Boston.

United States Attorney Michael J. Sullivan; Kenneth W. Kaiser, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in New England; Colonel Robbins, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police, announced today that DEEPAK JAHAGIRDAR, age 55, of 11270 N. 128th Way, Scottsdale, Arizona, was convicted after a 6 day jury trial of sexually abusing and having abusive sexual contact with a 22 year old woman who was asleep on the aircraft. The jury returned the verdict after deliberating for approximately five hours. After the jury verdict, JAHAGIRDAR was ordered into the custody of the United States Marshals Service, and will be held until sentencing.

According to the trial testimony, JAHAGIRDAR was seated next to a 22 year old Massachusetts woman whom he did not know on an afternoon flight from Dallas/Fort Worth to Boston on Sunday, March 31, 2002. The young woman was returning from a vacation in Texas, was traveling alone, and was to be met at Logan Airport by her parents. She fell asleep early in the flight and awoke to find that JAHAGIRDAR had covered her with a blanket, unfastened her seatbelt, unbuttoned her pants and had his hand down her pants and in her genitals. The woman immediately pulled JAHAGIRDAR's hand from her pants, and fled to the rear of the aircraft where she reported the assault to the flight crew. The crew in turn alerted four United States Secret Service Agents who were on board the flight returning to Boston from an assignment in Texas.

Upon the flight's arrival in Boston, the plane was met by uniformed Massachusetts State Police. JAHAGIRDAR initially attempted to avoid law enforcement officers at Logan Airport, but was intercepted on the jetway. Subsequent testing of skin cells taken from JAHAGIRDAR's hands revealed that a significant quantity of the victim's DNA was present on his hands.

JAHAGIRDAR offered evidence while testifying at trial, that he is a 1982 graduate of a Business School, and at the time of the assault, he was a marketing and development officer for a healthcare company, and that his business career included executive positions at various companies.

The case was initially charged by the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office. It was adopted by agreement between the Suffolk District Attorney's Office and the Massachusetts U.S. Attorney's Office, for federal prosecution, because the assault occurred in mid-flight in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States. JAHAGIRDAR was arrested on the federal charges on January 13, 2004 in Scottsdale, Arizona. He was subsequently indicted on February 11, 2004, and charged with sexual abuse in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2242 for penetrating the victim's genitals with his hand, and sexually abusive contact in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2244, for touching the victim on the groin and inner thigh.

United States Attorney Michael J. Sullivan stated that "this case involved a courageous victim, who came forward and endured the difficult legal process that is oftentimes associated with the criminal justice system. The prosecution of this matter underscores the Department's commitment to protect vulnerable victims and to use federal resources and federal statutes to investigate and prosecute serious violent offenses."

JAHAGIRDAR faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison on the sexual abuse charge and a maximum of 3 years in prison on the abusive sexual contact charge. He also faces a total maximum fine of $500,000. Sentencing has been set for June 24, 2005.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in conjunction with the Massachusetts State Police, and the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John T. McNeil in Sullivan's Criminal Division.

Press Contact: Samantha Martin, (617) 748-3139

You chose to make your to make your very first post on the day you signed up all about calling me a dumbass? Over a difference of opinion?

You are so stupid...you think someone whose pants are unbuttoned, seatbelt unfastened, and someone puts his hands down her pants and she would not wake up. I think she is the liar obviously. She is not the hero...get real dumbass

You think she is a liar. I think he is a criminal. We disagree. But she did indeed wake up and removed herself from the area. We don't know from the article whether or not this happened in a matter of seconds or longer.

The young woman was returning from a vacation in Texas, was traveling alone, and was to be met at Logan Airport by her parents. She fell asleep early in the flight and awoke to find that JAHAGIRDAR had covered her with a blanket, unfastened her seatbelt, unbuttoned her pants and had his hand down her pants and in her genitals. The woman immediately pulled JAHAGIRDAR's hand from her pants, and fled to the rear of the aircraft where she reported the assault to the flight crew. The crew in turn alerted four United States Secret Service Agents who were on board the flight returning to Boston from an assignment in Texas. Upon the flight's arrival in Boston, the plane was met by uniformed Massachusetts State Police. JAHAGIRDAR initially attempted to avoid law enforcement officers at Logan Airport, but was intercepted on the jetway. Subsequent testing of skin cells taken from JAHAGIRDAR's hands revealed that a significant quantity of the victim's DNA was present on his hands.

The crew took her complaints seriously. Jahagirdar's own behavior and attempts to avoid law enforcement officers don't exactly point to his innocence. Both were represented at a trial. The verdict - guilty. And it's not the only recent case of it's kind, check post #7.

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