A 32-year-old San Diego man faces up to two years in federal prison after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting a teenage girl on a flight from Charlotte, North Carolina, to San Diego in January 2023.
Ryan Coffey agreed to a guilty plea with prosecutors on Monday and admitted to intentionally giving the 14-year-old girl rum to drink during the four-hour American Airlines flight to San Diego.
With the cabin lights off during the night flight, Coffey admitted to touching the young victim’s inner thighs and breasts. Assistant FBI Special Agent in Charge TJ Holland in San Diego described the act as “heinous.”
Last summer, the FBI issued a warning about what the agency said was a “disturbing” increase in sexual assaults on board airplanes, with suspects typically targeting women and children traveling alone who had been separated from their parents or guardians.
The level of sexual assault on board airplanes has become such a problem that the Department of Justice has even worked with the FBI and non-governmental organizations to create a list of top tips for traveler safety. These tips include:
- Take a moment to observe the people around you and be alert and attentive
- Try to limit the use of sleeping pills
- Leave the armrest down
- Don’t assume that non-sexual touching of your seatmate is harmless
- Alert you to suspicious activity
- Report sexual misconduct
- Do not stay in your seat if you find yourself in an uncomfortable or dangerous situation
- Ask your family to sit together
- Designate any child under 14 years of age travelling alone as an unaccompanied minor.
- Share these tips with your family members.
Commenting on Coffey’s crimes, U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath said on Monday: “Thanks to the courage of a brave girl who reported the incidents in the dark on an airplane and the swift action of law enforcement, the defendant was brought to justice.”
In many cases, victims are afraid to speak up, especially if they are still seated next to their abuser. However, the FBI, Department of Justice and other law enforcement agencies are working hard to reassure victims that their reports will be taken seriously and that they can seek help from a flight attendant or fellow passenger.
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