Man Allegedly Assaulted Sleeping Passenger

A Scottsdale, Arizona man was charged Wednesday in federal court with sexually assaulting a woman sleeping in the seat next to him aboard a Delta Air Lines flight.

United States Attorney Michael J. Sullivan; Kenneth W. Kaiser, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in New England; Colonel Thomas J. Foley, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police, announced Wednesday that Deepak Jahagirdar, age 53, of Scottsdale, Arizona, was charged in a two count indictment with sexual abuse and abusive sexual contact aboard an aircraft.

According to the Indictment and an affidavit filed earlier in the case, it is alleged that Jahagirdar was seated next to a 22 year old woman on a mid-day flight from Dallas/Fort Worth to Boston on March 31, 2002. The young woman had fallen asleep during the flight and awoke to find that Jahagirdar had unbuttoned her pants and doing unappropriate things. In order to conceal the assault from other passengers, Jahagirdar had placed a blanket over himself and the woman, and had put his tray table in the down position. Jahagirdar was arrested by Massachusetts State Police upon his arrival at Logan Airport.

Jahagirdar was arrested on the federal charges on January 13, 2004 in Scottsdale, Arizona. He was released after a court appearance in federal court in Arizona with the condition that he not travel outside of Arizona and Massachusetts and that he is only permitted to fly to Massachusetts for court appearances. Additionally, when Jahagirdar flies, he must purchase the seats next to him.

Jahagirdar's next court appearance is scheduled for March 4, 2004 at 12:30 p.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert B. Collings in federal district court in Boston. If convicted, he 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 maximum fine of $250,000 on each of the charges.

FMI: www.usdoj.gov/ag