A US man has been sentenced to nearly two years in jail for groping a sleeping passenger on a plane. Mohammad Jawad Ansari, 50, was found guilty of putting his hand on the inner thigh of a woman while she was asleep during a flight from Cleveland to Los Angeles in February 2020.
The victim, who was wearing a dress, woke up and immediately pushed Ansari’s hand away. She then informed the cabin crew about the incident. Ansari had denied the charge of abusive sexual contact but was found guilty after a four-day trial in May, according to the Department of Justice.
During the trial, a prosecutor described the victim as being “shocked and afraid” as a result of the groping. Witnesses testified that she sobbed for the rest of the flight. The incident has also had a lasting impact on the victim, who now struggles to fall asleep on flights due to constant concerns about unwanted touching.
US District Judge Fernando Aenlle-Rocha sentenced Ansari to 21 months in prison and ordered him to pay over $40,000 in restitution.