Indiana Man Sentenced for Assaulting Two Minors on an Aircraft

PORTLAND, Maine: An Indiana man was sentenced on June 3 in U.S. District Court in Portland for assaulting two minor females who were passengers on an aircraft while it was in flight.

U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. sentenced Aidan J. Carter, 27, to 30 days in jail to be followed by five years of probation involving strict conditions, including completing a sex offender evaluation and any recommended treatment. Carter pleaded guilty on December 10, 2025.

According to court records, in December 2024, Carter was a passenger on a crowded aircraft flying to Portland. After take-off, he touched the thigh of a then 17-year-old female passenger seated next to him without her consent. After the 17-year-old victim pushed his hand away, Carter repeatedly reached across the aisle to grab and squeeze the upper thigh of a then 16-year-old female passenger whom he awoke from her sleep. Carter also reached in the direction of the 16-year-old female's genitals.

The FBI and the Portland Police Department investigated the case.

Project Safe Childhood: This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Department's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-me/psc.

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