An elderly Florida man has pleaded guilty to masturbating next to a 21-year-old woman and touching her thigh during an airplane flight in April, federal officials said Wednesday.
Donald Robinson, 76, of Bonita Springs, copped to one count of lewd, indecent and obscene acts in a Massachusetts federal court and will be sentenced in March.
The victim recorded a 24-second video of Robinson fondling himself through his pants shortly after takeoff, officials said.
The woman then glanced over after capturing the footage and observed that he had exposed himself.
Shortly before the flight touched down in Boston, Robinson placed his hand on the woman’s thigh, officials said.
The startled victim asked him what he was doing, and Robinson went silent and stared out a window for the remainder of the flight, according to federal officials.
The woman then typed out a message on her phone and held it up for a passenger to see.
“Hi, this man assaulted me and touched my leg and is masturbating,” she wrote.
As passengers got off, the victim was unable to point out Robinson to a flight attendant because the aisle became too crowded.
Surveillance footage showed Robinson repeatedly looking behind him as he neared the baggage claim area where he was eventually arrested.
He faces up to 90 days in jail. a year of supervised release and a $5,000 fine at sentencing.
