NEWARK, N.J. (AP) - Authorities say an Indian citizen living in New Jersey who’s accused of fondling a passenger on a flight from India to Newark wrote notes to the victim apologizing for a “moment’s stupidity.”
Federal prosecutors say 40-year-old Ganesh Parkar, of Robbinsville, moved from his ticketed seat in business class Wednesday and sat next to a woman in economy class on an Air India flight from Mumbai. They say he touched one of her breasts after she fell asleep.
Investigators say he apologized in two short notes written while on the flight.
Parkar was charged Thursday with abusive sexual contact. He was released on a $50,000 bond, put under home electronic monitoring and ordered to relinquish his passport.
The charge carries a maximum two-year prison sentence.
Parkar’s attorney says his client “asserts his innocence.”
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This story has been corrected to show the suspect’s last name is Parkar, not Parker.
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