LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A woman says she woke up to a man groping her while she was sleeping on a flight from Las Vegas to Washington, D.C.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, 26-year-old Ivan Lopez Jr. was charged with abusive sexual contact aboard an aircraft in flight. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of two years in prison.
An indictment filed this week says Lopez was a passenger on a commercial flight from Las Vegas' Harry Reid International Airport to Washington Dulles International Airport on December 24, 2021.
During the flight, the passenger seated next to Lopez fell asleep. The indictment alleges that she awoke to Lopez repeatedly rubbing her right breast. When the passenger opened her eyes, she allegedly observed Lopez leaning over her and his right hand was placed on her right breast.
The passenger allegedly yelled at Lopez and he moved to the back of the aircraft, where he allegedly admitted to a flight attendant that he sexually assaulted the woman.
Information was provided by the U.S. Department of Justice.
