Airline Passenger Allegedly Groped 19-Year-Old Girl Underneath Blanket On United Flight

A United Airlines passenger was indicted for allegedly sexually abusing a 19-year-old girl sitting next to him on a July 2018 flight from Tokyo to Dulles International Airport, Virginia.

According to court documents filed Thursday, obtained by USA Today, George Seryogin, from Massachusetts, was accused of "an intent to abuse, humiliate, harass, and degrade" the teenager, who was only identified as “Jane Doe” in the complaint. The documents went on to state that the accused "knowingly and intentionally [engaged] in sexual contact with 'Jane Doe,' without her permission.”

The victim, who did not know the accused, was seated next to Seryogin — who has dual citizenship of Russia and the U.S. — on the flight. After chatting with the teenager briefly, he allegedly placed a blanket over the former's leg, so that it would be difficult for other passengers on the plane to witness his actions. He then proceeded to touch her knee and sexually grope her, stated an FBI affidavit reviewed by NBC Washington.

The affidavit added that "the victim was also quietly crying, with tears streaming down her face" as Seryogin "put his hand against the victim's vagina, through her clothing and without her permission.” The teenager tried to push the accused’s hands off her before rushing to the washroom on the flight, and then reported the alleged crime.

Seryogin was charged with one count of abusive sexual contact aboard an aircraft in flight. He denied the allegations, saying he fell asleep on the flight in question, five hours after it took off. He added that although he did not recall deliberately touching the victim, “it could have been possible because he does move around while sleeping.”

During his interrogation, the accused said he had several drinks on the flight but he wasn't "drunk.” He was also not under the influence of medications during the alleged incident.

Confirming that the airline had banned Seryogin from flying with it in the future, United issued the following statement regarding the indictment: "The safety and well-being of our customers is our top priority. Our customer was immediately moved to a different seat when the flight attendant was made aware of the issue and we requested law enforcement meet the aircraft on arrival. We will continue to fully cooperate with law enforcement’s investigation... Sexual harassment, inappropriate behavior, intimidation or predation have absolutely no place anywhere in our society — including in our industry and on our aircraft."