A Florida man who masturbated then exposed himself and touched another passenger without her consent on a flight to Boston pleaded guilty on Tuesday to a charge of performing a lewd act aboard an aircraft.
The charge stems from an incident in April where Donald Edward Robinson, 76, of Bonita Springs, Flordia, targeted the 21-year-old female passenger seated next to him on a flight from Newark, New Jersey, to Boston, according to U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins’ office.
Shortly after the plane took off, the victim recorded a 24-second video of Robinson “fondling and manipulating his penis through his pants,” officials said. The victim looked over to Robinson soon after and saw that he had exposed his penis.
When Robinson touched her thigh, it prompted her to ask him why he was touching her, and he let go, saying nothing, and proceeded to look out the window. The victim got the attention of a different passenger on the plane and wrote a message on her phone saying “Hi, this man assaulted me and touched my leg and is masturbating.” The victim recorded a 24-second video of Robinson doing these actions.
When the passengers were getting off the plane, the victim talked to a flight attendant about the incident but was unable to point Robinson out because of the number of passengers deplaning. Security footage caught Robinson, upon exiting the secure area of the terminal, repeatedly looking back in the same direction from which he came while going to the baggage carousel level.
Robinson faces up to 90 days in prison, up to one year of supervised release, and a fine of up to $5,000. He is scheduled to be sentenced on March 2, 2023.
