Robert Sutherland MacLean, Abusive Sexual Contact, Utah 2025

A Texas man was found guilty of sexually assaulting a female passenger on a commercial airline flight in Salt Lake City, Utah. Robert Sutherland MacLean, 59, of Frisco, Texas, was convicted of abusive sexual contact in the special aircraft of the United States.

The crime occurred on March 1, 2022, while MacLean was on a late-night flight from Chicago to Salt Lake City. According to court documents, MacLean made sexually laced statements to a stranger seated next to him and sexually assaulted her multiple times in the first-class cabin.

‘Mr. MacLean unlawfully and illegally imposed his will upon another person— sexually assaulting her over and over again on that late night flight,’ said prosecuting attorney Bryan N. Reeves of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, during the trial.

MacLean’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for October 1, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. before Senior U.S. District Court Judge Dale A. Kimball at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City.

The case is being investigated by the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office and assisted by the Salt Lake City Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys Michael P. Kennedy and Bryan N. Reeves of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah are prosecuting the case.

The abusive sexual contact charge carries severe penalties. However, the exact sentence for MacLean has not been determined yet.

MacLean’s case highlights the need for increased safety measures on commercial flights to protect passengers from similar crimes.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ut/pr/federal-jury-convicts-texas-man-sexually-assaulting-female-passenger-onboard-commercial