Florida man pleads guilty to masturbating and exposing himself on flight to Boston

A Florida man who allegedly masturbated then exposed himself and touched another female passenger without her consent on a flight to Boston pleaded guilty on Tuesday to a charge of committing a lewd act on board an aircraft.

The charge stems from an incident in April where Donald Edward Robinson, 76, of Bonita Springs, Flordia, allegedly targeted the 21-year-old passenger sitting next to him on a flight from Newark, New Jersey, to Boston, according to US Office of Attorney Rachael Rollins.

Shortly after the plane took off, the victim recorded a 24-second video of Robinson “stroking and manipulating his penis through his pants,” officials said. The victim looked at Robinson soon after and saw that he had exposed his penis.

About five minutes before the plane landed, Robinson placed his hand on the victim’s thigh, officials said. She then asked Robinson why he was touching her, and Robinson then pulled his hand away and looked out the window.

The victim was able to get another passenger’s attention and show him a message on his phone that read, “Hello, this man assaulted me and touched my leg and is masturbating.”

As the plane pulled into its terminal and passengers disembarked, the victim told a flight attendant about the incident, but was unable to point Robinson out on the crowded plane. Security footage obtained by law enforcement captured Robinson exiting the secure area of ​​the terminal while repeatedly looking in the direction he was coming from, according to Rollins’ office.

Robinson is due to be sentenced in early March. These charges carry a sentence of up to 90 days in jail, up to a year of probation and a fine of up to $5,000.