Rochester Hills Man Convicted Of Sexual Assault On Airplane

ROCHESTER HILLS, MI — A Rochester Hills man has been convicted of sexual abuse while on an airplane, officials have announced. Prabhu Ramamoorthy, 35, sexually violated a woman while she was sleeping on an overnight flight from Las Vegas to Detroit on Jan. 3.

The sexual assault woke her up and she found her pants unbuttoned and unzipped, according to the verdict announcement made by United States Attorney Matthew Schneider. She immediately sought help from the Spirit airline flight attendants.

According to the Washington Post, the 22-year-old victim was sitting in the window seat, while Ramamoorthy was in the middle. Ramamoorthy’s wife was sitting in the aisle seat, the report said.
Ramamoorthy said during the trial that he was under the influence of a Tylenol and unhooked the woman’s bra and unzipped her pants. He tried to put his fingers inside her, but was unsuccessful, the report said.

The five-day trial was conducted before United States District Judge Terrence Berg and it took the jury 3 ½ hours to deliver a guilty verdict.

“Everyone has the right to be secure and safe when they travel on airplanes,” Schneider said in a statement. “We will not tolerate the behavior of anyone who takes advantage of victims who are in a vulnerable position, and we are glad the jury agreed. We appreciate the victim in this case for her courage to speak out.”

Ramamoorthy is in the United States on a work visa and will be deported back to India once he has served his sentence. He will be sentenced in December and faces up to life in prison, officials said.

Image via Shutterstock

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