NEWARK, N.J. – A Mercer County, New Jersey, man appeared in federal court today to face charges that he sexually abused a woman on a flight from India to Newark Liberty International Airport, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Ganesh Parkar, 40, of Windsor, New Jersey, was charged by criminal complaint with one count of abusive sexual contact on an airplane. Parkar, who is an Indian citizen, had his initial appearance this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark Falk in Newark federal court and was released on $50,000 unsecured bond, home detention with electronic monitoring and surrender of his passport and all travel documents.
According to the complaint:
While on a Dec. 21, 2016, Air India flight from Mumbai to Newark, Parkar moved from his ticketed seat in the business class section of the plane to the economy class section and sat next to a female passenger seated in a center row. When the woman fell asleep, Parkar placed his hand on her breast without her consent.
The abusive sexual contact charge carries a statutory maximum of up to two years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Timothy Gallagher in Newark; special agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, Newark Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Terence S. Opiola; and the Port Authority Police Department of New York-New Jersey, with the investigation leading to today’s arrest.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jihee G. Suh of the U.S. Attorney’s Criminal Division in Newark.
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Ganesh Parkar, of the Windsor section of Robbinsville, New Jersey has been charged with sexually assaulting a fellow passenger on his flight from India to Newark on Wednesday, nj.com reported.
He is charged with a single count of abusive sexual contact under a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court, according to the office of U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman.
Parkar, 40, was on an Air India flight from Mumbai to Newark International Airport when he moved from his ticketed seat in business class to the aircraft's economy section, sitting down next to a female passenger, according to the complaint.
The woman, who fell asleep during the flight, awoke to find Parkar had pulled down the blanket covering her and put his hand inside her shirt and on top of her breast, the complaint states.
After the woman confronted Parkar and the flight crew returned him to his seat, the complaint states, he repeatedly asked to speak to the victim and later wrote two notes apologizing for "a moment's stupidity."
If convicted of the charge, prosecutors say, Parkar faces up to two years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine, the report said.
