ANCHORAGE—U.S. Attorney Karen L.
Loeffler announced that a federal grand jury in Anchorage has indicted Kyong
Cha Lee, 56, of Aiea, Hawaii, for assaulting a flight attendant.
According to the indictment, on August
19, 2012, while Alaska Airlines Flight 871 was inbound to Anchorage, Alaska,
from Hawaii, Lee intentionally assaulted a flight attendant by striking her
with both hands and profanely threatening her. Lee is the sole defendant named
in the indictment.
“When an incident occurs onboard a
commercial flight inbound to Alaska, the United States Attorney’s Office will
often have exclusive jurisdiction over the offense,” said Karen L. Loeffler,
United States Attorney. “Federal law does not tolerate passengers who
physically assault airline crew members, and significant fines and jail
sentences can be imposed for those who violate these laws. Although Ms. Lee’s
charge is a misdemeanor, flight crew interference incidents can result in a
felony conviction, 20 years’ imprisonment, and fines of up to $250,000.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle G. French,
who presented the case to the grand jury, indicated that Lee’s charge provides
for a maximum sentence of six months in jail, a $5,000 fine, or both. Under
federal sentencing statutes, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the
seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the
defendant.
The Federal Bureau of Investigations and
the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport Police conducted the
investigation leading to the indictment in this case.
An indictment is only a charge and is
not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a
fair trial at which the government must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
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