Teen pretended to be asleep to ignore assailant – he repeatedly touched her inner thigh
Seattle – A 58-year-old Seattle man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to 18 months in prison for abusive sexual contact aboard an aircraft, announced First Assistant United States Attorney Charles Neil Floyd. Keith Witt was convicted by a jury in February 2026, finding he molested the 19-year-old victim on an August 11, 2023, flight from Billings, Montana to Seattle. At the sentencing hearing U.S. District Judge Ricardo S. Martinez noted that Witt testified falsely at the trial. “It was a deliberate attempt to get the jurors to look at the evidence in a different light… Perjured testimony to try to convince the jury the conduct did not happen. Abusive sexual contact on an aircraft is a serious offense with serious consequences.”
“The Western District of Washington is leading the way in holding offenders who prey on victims aboard aircraft accountable,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Neil Floyd. “The office has prosecuted at least 15 of these cases in the last three years, and at least six of these cases have gone to trial before a jury—each resulting in a guilty verdict. We will keep doing this work to get justice for victims and to deter those who mistakenly think such conduct on an aircraft will escape punishment.”
According to records filed in the case and testimony at trial, the victim was in the window seat, and Witt was next to her in the aisle seat on the 90-minute flight. Witt engaged the victim in conversation immediately upon boarding. The victim testified that he asked a number or personal questions that made her uncomfortable and touched her shoulder and earbuds, invading her space. The victim moved as far as she could towards the wall of the plane and feigned sleep to avoid having to interact further.
As she pretended to sleep, the victim felt Witt’s hand first move to her seat and touch her thigh. After pausing, he continued to move his hand up along her thigh onto her inner thigh. Witt pulled his hand away when the flight attendant came by but placed it back on the victim’s thigh once the flight attendant had left. The victim flinched, and Witt would remove his hand, only to move it slowly back a few moments later. She flinched again and after pulling his hand away quickly, he would soon return his hand to her thigh and slowly move up toward her genitalia. When the victim opened one eye, she was able to see that Witt appeared to be sexually aroused, and he was rubbing his erection. When Witt’s hand was within one to two inches of her genitalia, the victim pretended to wake up and go to the lavatory to get away from Witt. She went to the front of the plane, where she reported the conduct to the flight crew and closed herself in the restroom. In tears, she texted her mother about what had happened.
The flight attendants moved Witt to a seat at the back of the plane and reported the incident to the flight crew. The flight crew alerted personnel at SeaTac Airport, who contacted the Port of Seattle Police who met the plane and interviewed both Witt and the victim.
In asking for a 21-month prison sentence, prosecutors told the court that Witt sexually assaulted and traumatized a teen-aged girl. The sentence should send a message of deterrence to such abuse. “A plane is a uniquely vulnerable environment: passengers are often seated in close proximity to strangers, with little room and few options for removing themselves from unwanted situations; passengers regularly attempt to sleep on planes while sitting next to unknown persons, increasing their vulnerability; and outside of a passenger’s immediate neighbors (assuming there are any), there is limited visibility and a low likelihood of witnesses, particularly when cabin lights are dimmed and other passengers are asleep or focused on screens. These factors embolden perpetrators who believe they can engage in sexual misconduct with impunity,” prosecutors wrote in their sentencing memo.
In addition to the prison sentence, Judge Martinez ordered Witt to pay a $10,000 fine and more than $4,000 in restitution to the victim. Witt will be on five years of supervised release following prison and is required to register as a sex offender.
Judge Martinez noted the courage of the victim in coming forward saying, “Unfortunately, this type of offense happens more often than reported. Victims may decide to live with it rather than go through reporting to law enforcement and a trial.” The judge noted that the sentence must deter others from thinking they could get away with abusive sexual contact on an aircraft.
“The courage this young woman showed in reporting her traumatic and disturbing experience to the flight crew is admirable,” said W. Mike Herrington, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Seattle field office. “Many people may not know it, but sexual misconduct on aircraft is a federal crime, one the FBI takes seriously. We encourage victims and witnesses to report these crimes to the flight crew, Port of Seattle Police or your local airport police, and the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324) or tips.fbi.gov.”
The case was investigated by the FBI and the Port of Seattle Police.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Rachel Yemini and Brian Wynne.
Contact
Press contact for the U.S. Attorney’s Office is Communications Director Emily Langlie at (206) 553-4110 or Emily.Langlie@usdoj.gov.
