FBI agents in Boston arrested and charged a man Thursday after he allegedly committed lewd acts next to a 14-year-old girl on a flight from Hawaii to Boston, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the District of Massachusetts.
Dr. Sudipta Mohanty was traveling from Honolulu, Hawaii, to Boston with an unnamed female, according to a press release from the district attorney’s (DA) office. Mohanty was seated next to the unidentified minor, who was traveling with her grandparents. Halfway through the flight Mohanty appeared to start making a movement with his leg underneath a blanket covering, the girl said, according to the press release. Moments after, the blanket was on the floor of the plane and Mohanty was seemingly masturbating, she continued.
The minor then moved to a different row and sat in an empty seat for the rest of the flight. Upon arrival in Boston, the young girl told family members about what allegedly occurred, and police were subsequently informed, according to the press release. (RELATED: ‘I’ll Kiss Your T*ts Too’: Passenger Gets Rowdy While Pushing Through Aisle To Exit Plane)
Mohanty is an internal medicine and primary care doctor in Boston, the DA’s office said, citing the charging documents.
#BREAKING: Today, #FBI Boston special agents arrested Dr. Sudipta Mohanty for allegedly committing lewd acts within the view of a 14-year-old female seated next to him onboard a flight from Honolulu to Boston in May 2022. https://t.co/Rl3dV7ORM2 pic.twitter.com/gLTOFhXR52
— FBI Boston (@FBIBoston) August 10, 2023
“What Dr. Mohanty is accused of doing in front of a fourteen-year-old girl is reprehensible,” Christopher DiMenna from the FBI in Boston said, according to the press release. “Today’s arrest should make it crystal clear that the FBI takes crimes aboard aircraft seriously, everything from sexual misconduct as alleged in this case, to assault, interfering with the flight crew, and theft. If you’ve been the victim of a crime aboard an aircraft or have witnessed one take place, we ask you to report it to both your flight crew and the FBI.”
Mohanty faces a charge of lewd, indecent and obscene acts while in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the U.S., which carries a sentence of up to 90 days in prison, up to one year of supervised release and a maximum fine of $5,000.
“Everyone, especially children, has the absolute right to not be exposed to lewd conduct when they are traveling,” Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy said, according to the press release. “If you engage in the type of illicit behavior alleged here, you will be caught and held accountable wherever it happens.”