An Indian man accused of masturbating and exposing himself while on a flight from Abu Dhabi to Boston last week has pleaded guilty to the charge against him, the U.S. Attorney's Office said Tuesday.
Krishna Kunapuli, 39, pleaded guilty to one count of lewd, indecent and obscene acts while in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts. He was sentenced to two years probation and a $5,000 fine.
Prosecutors allege that Kunapuli made unwanted advances to a female passenger while onboard the Etihad Airlines flight last Monday, including touching the woman's hair and taking pictures of her without permission. A crew member intervened, but later other passengers seated near Kunapuli reported that he was masturbating under a blanket, at times exposing himself. A flight attendant intervened and reported the situation to law enforcement, officials said.
Kunapuli as part of his sentence was also ordered to delete any photos he had of the female passenger and have no contact with her.
