Indian National Convicted of Sexual Assault on US Domestic Flight, Sentencing Set for May

Varun Arora, a 38-year-old Indian national residing illegally in the US, was convicted by a federal jury for sexually assaulting a woman on a domestic flight from Rhode Island to Washington on August 29, 2024. The victim woke during the plane's final descent to find Arora groping her while pretending to sleep using a sleep mask. He faces up to two years in prison, with sentencing scheduled for May 7, 2026. The FBI investigated the case, prosecuted by US attorneys Madison Mumma and Russell L Carlberg.