Florida man pleads guilty to masturbating, exposing himself on flight to Boston

A Florida man who allegedly masturbated then exposed himself and touched another passenger without her consent on a flight to Boston pleaded guilty on Tuesday to a charge of performing a lewd act aboard an aircraft. 

The charge stems from an incident in April where Donald Edward Robinson, 76, of Bonita Springs, Flordia, allegedly targeted the 21-year-old female passenger seated next to him on a flight from Newark, New Jersey, to Boston, according to U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins’ office. 

Shortly after the plane took off, the victim recorded a 24-second video of Robinson “fondling and manipulating his penis through his pants,” officials said. The victim looked over to Robinson soon after and saw that he had exposed his penis. 

About five minutes before the plane landed, Robinson put his hand on the victim’s thigh, officials said. She then asked Robinson why he was touching her, and Robinson then withdrew his hand and looked out the window. 

The victim was able to get the attention of another passenger and show them a message on her phone that read: “Hi, this man assaulted me and touched my leg and is masturbating.” 

As the plane pulled into its terminal and passengers deboarded, the victim spoke with a flight attendant about the incident, but was not able to point out Robinson on the crowded plane. Security footage obtained by law enforcement captured Robinson exiting the terminal’s secure area while repeatedly looking back in the direction from which he came, according to Rollins’ office. 

Robinson is scheduled for sentencing in early March. These charges provide for a sentence of up to 90 days in prison, up to one year of supervised release, and a fine of up to $5,000.