Newton Man accused of ‘abusive sexual contact’ with a minor in flight to Boston

A Newton man was accused after allegedly the buttocks of a 17 -year -old girl, sitting in front of him on a flight to Jetblue from Puerto Rico to Boston, federal fiscal prosecutors announced on Friday.

Jonathan Alan Lefman, 46, was arrested on Friday and then appeared in a federal court in Boston where he was accused of a single position of abusive sexual behavior while he was in the special jurisdiction of aircraft of the United States, according to the prosecutor’s office of the United States.

Prosecutors say that Lefman was accompanied by his wife and four children when the incident supposedly occurred aboard a flight that left San Juan on August 30, 2024.

Lefman supposedly carried out abuse on multiple occasions during the flight and while he was on the ground waiting to move in Boston, according to officials.

“Specifically, it is alleged that Lefman intentionally worked his hand between the area between the back and lower of the seat directly in front of him, where the minor victim was sitting, and touched the buttocks of the minor victim without his permission.” Federal prosecutors said in a press release. “On at least one occasion, when he did, the minor victim saw his inclined reflection between the seats on the backup monitor in front of her.”

On the last occasion, when Lefman supposedly touched his back, the girl was able to use her smartphone to take a video of her fingers “standing out between the back and the lower part” of her seat, prosecutors said.

After leaving the plane at Logan International Airport, the girl waited at the Jet Bridge, where she took a Lefman video leaving the plane, according to the officials.

An adult member of the girl, who was sitting in a different row, informed Lefman to a Jetblue supervisor and confronted him about his alleged abuse, according to the officials.

The woman also showed Lefman the video of her fingers appearing among the seats, prosecutors said.

Lefman’s lawyer, Paul Cirel, told the Boston Globe His client “is innocent of these accusations.”

“This is a flight in which he was traveling, and he was sitting with his wife and four children during his duration. We expect its complete vindication in court, ”said Cirel.

According to an affidavit, when the FBI and the FBI State Police on August 30, 2024, if they were his fingers shown in the video, Lefman said: “I don’t know.”

If it is convicted, Lefman faces up to two years in prison, one year of supervised release and a fine of up to $ 250,000.