In August 2024, a 17-year-old girl was on a plane from Puerto Rico to Boston, Mass., when something strange kept happening. According to a Thursday press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts, the man seated behind her kept working his hand between the back and bottom of the seat, touching her buttocks.
To make things even more unsettling, the press release noted that the man – 48-year-old Jonathan Alan Lefman of Newton, Mass. – was travelling with his wife and four children on the JetBlue flight. He was convicted last week of one count of abusive sexual contact while in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States following a three-day trial.
“This verdict delivers justice for a young teen who showed remarkable courage following an appalling act. No one should ever be subjected to such harmful and predatory conduct—least of all in a confined, public space where she was entitled to feel safe,” said Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division. “The FBI is fully committed to protecting children and ensuring those who exploit or abuse them, like Mr. Lefman, are brought to justice.”
The road to Lefman’s conviction began on the Aug. 30, 2024 flight. There were multiple occasions of Lefman touching the minor’s buttocks without her permission (including one time when the victim saw his reflection in the setback monitor as he leaned closer to her seat). When he tried a final time, the victim was able to take a video with her cell phone of his fingers protruding from the back of the seat.
“Upon exiting the aircraft, while still on the jet bridge, the minor victim took a video of Lefman as he got off the aircraft,” the press release said. It also said that, “after deplaning, the minor victim’s adult female family member who had been traveling in a different row reported Lefman’s conduct to a JetBlue supervisor and confronted Lefman, showing the video of his fingers to support her statement.”
According to a report from NBC10 in Boston, Mass., that cited a criminal complaint filed in court, Lefman was interviewed later that day by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and state police while accompanied by an attorney. Lefman “told investigators he didn’t recall reaching under his seat or dropping anything during the flight, on which he listened to a podcast,” said the report. He also said that he did not recall sticking his fingers between the seats and said “I don’t know,” when confronted with the photos the victim took.
A Newton, Mass. man was convicted on Oct. 16, 2026 following a three-day jury trial, of making repeated sexual contact with a 17-year-old female passenger (minor victim) seated directly in front of him onboard a flight from Puerto Rico to Boston in August 2024.U.S. Attorney's Office, District of MassachusettsLefman was arrested and charged by criminal complaint in February 2025. In March 2025 he was indicted by a grand jury. Now that he had been convicted, U.S. District Court Judge Julia E. Kobick has scheduled sentencing hearing for Jan. 12 of next year.
“The charge of abusive sexual contact while in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States provides for a sentence of up to two years in prison, five years to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000,” said the U.S. Attorney’s office. “Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.”
