A 32-year-old man from San Diego faces the threat of being sent to federal prison for up to two years after he pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a teenage girl on a flight from Charlotte, North Carolina, to San Diego in January 2023.
Ryan Coffey reached a plea agreement with prosecutors on Monday, admitting to deliberately giving the 14-year-old girl rum to drink during the four-hour American Airlines flight to San Diego.
With the cabin lights turned off during the late-night flight, Coffey admitted to touching the young victim’s inner thigh and breasts in what has been described as an “abhorrent” act by Acting FBI San Diego Special Agent in Charge TJ Holland.
Last summer, the FBI issued an alert over what the agency described as a ‘disturbing’ rise in inflight sexual assaults, with suspects typically targeting lone female travelers and children who had been separated from their parents or guardians.
The level of inflight sexual assault has become such an issue that the Department of Justice has even worked with the FBI and non-government organizations to draw up a list of top tips to keep travelers safe. These tips include:
- Do take a moment to observe those around you and be alert and aware
- Do try to limit use of sleep aids
- Do leave the armrest down
- Don’t assume that nonsexual touching from your seatmate is innocent
- Do draw attention to suspicious activity
- Do report sexual misconduct
- Don’t remain in your seat if you are in an uncomfortable or dangerous situation
- Do request that your family sit together
- Do designate any child under 14 travelling alone as an unaccompanied minor
- Do educate your family members about these tips.
Commenting on Coffey’s crimes, U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath said on Monday: “Thanks to the courage of a brave girl who reported what happened in the dark on a plane, and swift engagement from law enforcement, this defendant was brought to justice.”
In many cases, victims are afraid to speak up, especially when they are still sitting next to their abuser, but the FBI, DOJ, and other law enforcement agencies are keen to reassure victims that their reports will be taken seriously and that they can seek the help of a flight attendant or fellow passenger.
