Jury convicts man for sexually assaulting a woman on a plane as his wife sat next to him

A federal jury convicted Ramamoorthy, 35, of sexual abuse on the Spirit Airlines flight. Ramamoorthy, an Indian national in the United States on a work visa, faces up to life in prison. It was a late-night flight from Las Vegas, and the woman rested her head on the window as the plane neared Detroit.

She was startled awake by the man in the middle seat next to her. His hand was down her unbuttoned pants, and her shirt was undone.

The 22-year old woman fled to the back of the plane to alert flight attendants.

But first she had to get past two obstacles: Prabhu Ramamoorthy, the man in the middle seat, and his wife in the aisle seat – an arm’s length away from a chill-inducing Jan. 3 incident later described in court.

A federal jury convicted Ramamoorthy, 35, of sexual abuse on the Spirit Airlines flight. Ramamoorthy, an Indian national in the United States on a work visa, faces up to life in prison. He will be deported after serving his sentence, U.S. Attorney Matthew Schneider said in a statement.

“Everyone has the right to be secure and safe when they travel on airplanes. 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,” Schneider said. “We appreciate the victim in this case for her courage to speak out.”

Jurors deliberated three and a half hours before returning their decision, he said.