We can categorize this one under “scumbags are everywhere.”
A Massachusetts father of four found himself arrested after he inappropriately groped a female teenager during a flight from Puerto Rico to Boston. He’s charged with one count of abusive sexual contact while in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States.
Details of the Incident
46-year-old Jonathan Lefman, a resident of Newton, MA, is accused of making repeated sexual contact with a 17-year-old girl who was sitting in the seat directly in front of him on their JetBlue flight. According to prosecutors, he was on flight JBU62, an Airbus A321 Classic, with his wife and four children, but they were sitting in different areas of the plane.
The teenager sat in seat 30F, while Lefman was in seat 31F.
Victim’s Testimony and Video Evidence
“At first I thought he was stretching because we all get tired,” the victim told a State Police investigator. But she “started to realize that he was really touching me” and she “kept moving forward and side to side” to avoid being touched, according to charging documents.
Prosecutors said that the teen managed to take a video of Lefman sticking his fingers and hand through the seat as he attempted to touch her through her clothing. Here are some screen captures of said video.
Photo Credit: United States Department of Justice
Legal Documents and Prosecutors’ Statement
According to court documents from the United States Attorney for Massachusetts, Leah Foley’s office, “…it is alleged that Lefman intentionally worked his hand in between and through the area between the back and bottom of the seat directly in front of him, where the minor victim was seated, and touched the minor victim’s buttocks without her permission,” Foley’s office wrote in a statement.
This alleged touching occurred several times.
“On the last occasion when he allegedly touched or attempted to touch her buttocks, the minor victim was able to use her cell phone camera to take a video of Lefman’s fingers protruding between the back and bottom of the minor victim’s seat,” Foley’s office said.
Investigators interviewed the girl after the August 30, 2024 flight. She said he “pointed his finger and made a sweeping motion left and right across her buttocks” as a description of what happened. The girl was with several family members on the flight and one of her adult female family members is said to have reported the incident to a JetBlue supervisor. The same family member then confronted Lefman after the flight landed. According to court documents, Lefman, “claimed he had been stretching and apologized.”
Lefman’s Response and Investigation
Lefman agreed to an interview with Massachusetts State Police the day the flight landed. When asked if the fingers in the pictures looked familiar, he allegedly replied, “Not really, no.”
If convicted, Lefman faces a sentence of up to two years in prison, one year of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. If he were to travel by plane again, he would have to stay within the U.S. and provide probation with an itinerary.
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