A 36-year-old Indian-origin man has been charged with sexually assaulting a fellow passenger aboard a domestic flight in the US, according to federal officials.
Bhaveshkumar Dahyabhai Shukla is accused of abusive sexual contact on a flight from Montana to Texas, Montana federal prosecutor Kurt Alme said in a statement on April 3.
"Shukla, of Lake Hiawatha, New Jersey, was charged in a one-count indictment with abusive sexual contact in special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States. If convicted, Shukla faces two years of imprisonment, a USD 250,000 fine, and at least five years of supervised release," the statement said.
He is scheduled to appear on April 17, 2025, for an arraignment.
The indictment alleges that on January 26, 2025, on board an American Airlines flight from Bozeman to Dallas, Shukla engaged in sexual contact with another person without that other person's permission.
The US Attorney's Office is prosecuting the case. The FBI, ICE and Dallas Fort Worth International Airport Police conducted the investigation, the statement said.
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