Man gropes sleeping woman on Virgin America flight, offers to buy victim’s male companion a drink to cover assault
Veerabhadrarao Kunam, 58, visiting US from Visakhapatnam, India, groped private parts of fellow passenger on the redeye flight from Los Angeles to New Jersey.
Victim travelling with a male companion dozes off then “awoke to find defendant Kunam’s hands massaging her vagina and buttocks over her pants”
Victim’s male companion confronts Kunam who asks everyone to forget about the incident and offers to buy the man a drink for any trouble he may have caused
Kunam, was arrested at Newark airport and charged with felony abusive sexual contact
Released on a $50,000 secured bond. Faces up to two years in prison and a $250,000 fine
Veerabhadrarao Kunam, 58, groped the woman’s private parts on the Virgin America redeye flight from Los Angeles to New Jersey as she dozed off in the middle seat next to him, when the starled woman alerted her male travelling companion. Con fronted, Kunam tried to clear the air with an offer to buy him companion a drink., U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman said Tuesday.
“The victim awoke to find defendant Kunam’s hands massaging her vagina and buttocks over her pants,” an affidavit included with a complaint filed against Kunam in federal court in New Jersey said.
“Defendant Kunam was also rubbing his bare feet against the victim’s bare feet,” the affidavit alleged.
The unidentified victim quickly alerted her male traveling companion, who also witnessed the improper touching, prosecutors said.
The man traded seats with the victim and confronted Kunam, authorities said. That’s when Kunam said he wanted everyone to forget about the incident and offered to buy the man a drink for any trouble he may have caused, prosecutors said. The male companion declined the drink and alerted a flight attendant.
Kunam, who allegedly told the flight crew member he would not touch the victim again was moved to another seat.He was arrested shortly after the flight touched down at Newark., booked and released on a $50,000 secured bond.
He faces up to two years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted of felony abusive sexual contact, prosecutors said.
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