A 46-year-old married father has been sentenced to six months in federal prison and has been ordered to pay $4,000 in restitution after he pleaded guilty to one count of abusive sexual contact with a teenage girl on an American Airlines flight from San Diego to Philadelphia.
Edward Decker of West Chester, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on Friday in a Philadelphia courthouse by U.S. District Judge Nitza I. Quiñones Alejandro who also ordered him to undergo one year of supervised release once he is freed from jail.
The unnamed 15-year-old victim was traveling alone and was sat in a window seat while Decker was sitting in the aisle seat with a middle seat empty between them during the July 29, 2022, flight aboard an American Airlines jet.
According to court documents, Decker told the victim he was a married father with a young daughter waiting for him at home in Philadelphia. During the flight, Decker attempted to strike up a conversation with the victim and commented how the book she was reading was “standard High School reading”.
During the flight, the victim fell asleep but awoke to find Decker “all over her” with one of his hands groping her breast under her shirt and his second hand rubbing her upper thigh area.
Prosecutors allege that Decker was “kissing her body and breast and rubbing his hands on her body.”
Decker then leaned in to kiss the victim before she told him to stop. He then moved back to his original seat, but once the victim got off the plane in Philadelphia, she feared he was following her, so she hid in a restroom for several minutes before asking to stand with a random couple at the baggage carousel.
After retrieving her luggage and exiting curbside, Decker allegedly approached her and asked if he could ever see her again. At this point, the victim noticed her parent’s car and quickly got inside before reporting the incident to police.
Decker pleaded guilty to assaulting the young girl in May.
“Edward Decker’s actions on that plane are profoundly disturbing,” commented U.S. Attorney Romero, following Decker’s sentencing. “There’s no excuse for touching anyone in a sexual manner without their consent — let alone a sleeping underage stranger.”
Romero added: “The victim in this case has shown remarkable courage throughout this entire process.”
