Salt Lake City, Utah – A federal jury in Salt Lake City has convicted Robert Sutherland MacLean, a 59-year-old man from Frisco, Texas, known as ‘Bobby,’ of sexually assaulting a female passenger onboard a commercial airline flight. The assault took place on a late-night flight from Chicago to Salt Lake City.
MacLean was charged with abusive sexual contact in the special aircraft of the United States on April 18, 2023. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, MacLean made calculated and sexually inappropriate comments to a stranger seated next to him while assaulting 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. Acting United States Attorney Felice John Viti of the District of Utah made the announcement.
The investigation into this case was led by the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office, with assistance from the Salt Lake City Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys Michael P. Kennedy and Bryan N. Reeves are prosecuting the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah.
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Key Facts
- State: Utah
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Violent Crime|Sex Crimes|Public Corruption
- Source: Official Source ↗
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