A man was seen exposing himself and masturbating under a blanket on a flight to Boston last week, according to federal prosecutors, who’ve announced he’s pleaded guilty to a federal offense and has been sentenced. Krishna Kunapuli, 39, of India, was removed from the Etihad Airlines flight and arrested on Oct. 21 when the plane arrived at Boston Logan International Airport from Abu Dhabi, according to an affidavit.
Before landing, two male passengers sitting near Kunapuli saw him masturbating after prosecutors said he made unwanted sexual advances toward a woman on board and was photographing her. Kunapuli pleaded guilty on Oct. 24 to one count of committing lewd, indecent or obscene acts on an aircraft, the U.
S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts said in an Oct. 29 news release.
That same day, a judge sentenced Kunapuli to two years of probation and ordered him to pay a $5,000 fine, according to prosecutors. His defense attorney, Stephen Neyman, didn’t immediately respond to McClatchy News’ request for comment Oct. 29.
Kunapuli was first accused of following a woman he made advances toward on the flight before he was caught masturbating, according to the affidavit. After he asked if he could sit near the woman in an empty seat, he tried to make small talk with her, started complimenting her and asked her to spend a night with him in Boston, the affidavit says. He also “offered to give her $5,000 as a gift” and “bragged about his wealth,” acc.