A federal jury convicted a Newton man this past week of groping a 17-year-old girl during a JetBlue flight from San Juan, Puerto Rico, to Boston, capping a three-day trial over an incident the teen captured on her own phone. Jonathan Lefman, whom CBS News reported was 48, was found guilty of one count of abusive sexual contact following the August 2024 flight.
The verdict was announced by U.S. Attorney Leah Foley, according to CBS News. Prosecutors said Lefman was seated behind the girl and, on multiple occasions during the flight, worked his hand through and under her seat to touch her without consent, according to MassLive. The outlet reported that Lefman was traveling with his wife and children, who were seated in a different section of the plane.
The teen used her phone to record video of the fingers reaching through the gap in her seat, per the same account. A family member of the girl later reported the incident to a JetBlue supervisor and confronted Lefman after the flight landed, showing him the video, MassLive reported.
Conflicting Accounts From Lefman
According to court documents cited by the Newton Beacon, Lefman initially told the family member he had been stretching and apologized. In a later interview, when shown the footage, he said he did not know whether the fingers belonged to him, telling investigators, “I … I don’t know. I don’t know,” the Newton Beacon reported.
Court records show the case moved through the federal system over the following year. An arrest warrant was issued on Feb. 6, 2025, and Lefman made an initial court appearance on Feb. 7, 2025, according to a CourtListener docket for the case, filed as United States v. Lefman, No. 1:25-cr-10083, in the U.S. District Court for Massachusetts. A one-count indictment followed on March 4, 2025, per the same docket.
Prosecutor's Statement After the Verdict
Foley said the defendant repeatedly sexually abused a minor who was trying to travel safely on a commercial flight, according to CBS News. “No one should have to fear being sexually assaulted, whether in the air or on the ground,” Foley said, per the outlet's report. She added that the verdict holds Lefman accountable and sends a warning that people who prey on vulnerable passengers will face justice.
Lefman is scheduled for sentencing on Jan. 12, 2027. He faces a maximum prison term of two years and a $250,000 fine, according to CBS News. One earlier report from the Newton Beacon said the potential sentence included one year of supervised release, while CBS News has since reported that Lefman faces supervised release ranging from five years to a lifetime; the dossier does not resolve which figure applies. The Newton Beacon also previously identified Lefman as 46 years old, while CBS News has identified him as 48.
The Statute Behind the Charge
The federal complaint affidavit cited 18 U.S.C. § 2244(b) along with 49 U.S.C. § 46506(1), according to the U.S. Department of Justice complaint affidavit. Under 18 U.S.C. § 2244(b), a person who knowingly engages in sexual contact without permission may be fined, imprisoned for not more than two years, or both.
Cases of midflight sexual contact involving minors have surfaced elsewhere in recent years. In Washington state, a 58-year-old Seattle man was sentenced to 18 months in prison for abusive sexual contact with a teen on a flight from Billings, Montana, to Seattle, according to the FBI Seattle field office. In Rhode Island, a Newport man pleaded guilty to simple assault of a minor during a flight from Florida to Rhode Island, per the U.S. Department of Justice's District of Rhode Island office.
