What happens in Vegas may stay in Vegas. But if it happens on the plane home, it could be a federal crime.
Thirty-four-year-old Prabhu Ramamoorthy is charged with aggravated sexual abuse and facing up to life in prison for an incident on board a Spirit Airlines flight from Vegas to Detroit Wednesday.
In court Thursday afternoon Federal Magistrate R. Steven Whalen ordered him held in Detention. His next hearing that should include testimony from the accuser is set for January 24 at 1pm.
The woman in tears first reported her assault to flight attendants 40 minutes before they landed. She also told police that she fell asleep against the window and when she woke up her shirt and pants had been unbuttoned and she had been sexually assaulted by the man in the seat next to her.
Ramamoorthy first told police that he was in a deep sleep, the woman next to him fell asleep on his knees and he was not sure where he kept his hand on her.
But then he changed his story in a recorded interview - that he may have un-done her bra, that he touched her chest over her clothes and that he may have tried to sexually assault her with his hand.
His wife who was in court and left in tears without commenting told police that she didn’t like the other woman sleeping on her husband’s lap and that she asked to change seats.
Flight attendants say that never happened.
