SEATTLE – Milan Edward Jurkovic, a 36-year-old Seattle resident, was sentenced to 8 months in prison for abusive sexual contact on a flight from Paris to Seattle, according to U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman.
Jurkovic faced the court after being convicted following a three-day jury trial in December 2023. At the sentencing hearing, U.S. District Judge Robert S. Lasnik expressed his disapproval of the crime, stating, “The flight back should have been nothing less than the end of a joyous trip and instead she is the victim of a crime…. It shouldn’t have happened.”
U.S. Attorney Gorman emphasized the severity of such incidents, noting, “Trapped in an aircraft cabin, these assaults are particularly traumatic for vulnerable young people who trust the adults around them to behave appropriately. In this case the defendant groped a teenager traveling with a school group. She bravely spoke up. We have a zero-tolerance policy for these aircraft sexual assaults. Predators will be prosecuted.”
The incident occurred on July 3, 2022, when Jurkovic was a passenger on an Air France flight from Paris to Seattle. The victim, a 16-year-old girl, was seated next to him as part of a school group returning from an overseas trip. Jurkovic reached under the blanket and began gropeing her thigh, causing the teenager to seek help from classmates and chaperones.
Upon arrival in Seattle, the incident was reported to the flight crew, and Port of Seattle Police met the plane. Jurkovic gave contradictory statements, initially claiming bad circulation as the reason for his actions, then denying any harm done. He later stated he had an itch on his leg. Indicted by a grand jury on January 4, 2023, he was arrested on January 30, 2023.
Prosecutors requested a 16-month prison sentence, noting the rising trend of airline sexual assaults and the societal desire to hold perpetrators accountable. The FBI and Port of Seattle Police investigated the case, which was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Rachel Yemini and Brian Wynne.
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Key Facts
- State: Washington
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Violent Crime|Sex Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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