Passengers saw man expose himself and masturbate on flight to Boston, feds say
A man was seen exposing himself and masturbating under a blanket on a flight to Boston last week, according to federal prosecutors, who’ve announced he’s pleaded guilty to a federal offense and has been sentenced.
Krishna Kunapuli, 39, of India, was removed from the Etihad Airlines flight and arrested on Oct. 21 when the plane arrived at Boston Logan International Airport from Abu Dhabi, according to an affidavit.
Before landing, two male passengers sitting near Kunapuli saw him masturbating after prosecutors said he made unwanted sexual advances toward a woman on board and was photographing her.
Kunapuli pleaded guilty on Oct. 24 to one count of committing lewd, indecent or obscene acts on an aircraft, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts said in an Oct. 29 news release.
That same day, a judge sentenced Kunapuli to two years of probation and ordered him to pay a $5,000 fine, according to prosecutors.
His defense attorney, Stephen Neyman, didn’t immediately respond to McClatchy News’ request for comment Oct. 29.
Kunapuli was first accused of following a woman he made advances toward on the flight before he was caught masturbating, according to the affidavit.
After he asked if he could sit near the woman in an empty seat, he tried to make small talk with her, started complimenting her and asked her to spend a night with him in Boston, the affidavit says.
He also “offered to give her $5,000 as a gift” and “bragged about his wealth,” according to the affidavit.
Then he started touching her hair and repeatedly called her beautiful, resulting in her trying to get away from him, the affidavit says.
After he followed her, a crew member intervened and sent Kunapuli back to his assigned seat, according to the affidavit.
When he was seated, one passenger witnessed him masturbating and estimated it went on for about 10 minutes, the affidavit says.
A second passenger who noticed Kunapuli exposing himself and masturbating alerted a crew member, according to the affidavit.
“At times,” prosecutors said “his penis (was) fully exposed.”
Investigators from the FBI and Massachusetts State Police responded to the plane when it landed in Boston, according to the affidavit.
Etihad Airways didn’t immediately respond to McClatchy News’ request for comment.
When crimes occur on flights, the FBI will launch an investigation.
This story was originally published October 29, 2024 at 1:37 PM with the headline "Passengers saw man expose himself and masturbate on flight to Boston, feds say."
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