By: Richard L. Smith
U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger said a Kuwaiti man appeared in federal court today for alleged abusive sexual contact with a female passenger on a Newark Liberty International Airport flight.
According to federal officials, Mr. Hasan Naser Hussain Alenezi, 18, of Kuwait, is charged by complaint with one count of abusive sexual contact on an airplane.
He had an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge José R. Almonte in Newark federal court and was released on a $100,000 unsecured bond, with home detention and GPS monitoring.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
While on a Nov. 27, 2022, flight from Los Angeles, California, to Newark, Alenezi sat next to a female passenger, who was seated next to the window instead of sitting in his assigned seat.
Alenezi was unknown to the victim. While seated next to the victim, Alenezi repeatedly touched her groin and leg without her permission.
The abusive sexual contact charge is punishable by a maximum penalty of two years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James E. Dennehy in Newark, with the investigation leading to the charge.