UPDATE: Mohanty was found not at a trial in January 2024.
A Boston doctor was indicted by a federal grand jury Wednesday on charges that he masturbated and exposed himself within the view of a 14-year-old female seated next to him on a flight from Honolulu to Boston in May 2022.
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Dr. Sudipta Mohanty, 33, was indicted on one count of lewd, indecent and obscene acts “while in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States.” He was arrested and charged by criminal complaint in August and released.
Mohanty hasn't yet entered a plea.
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Claudia Lagos, an attorney representing Mohanty, said he is “completely innocent” of the allegations.
“He is a well-respected primary care physician and educator, with multiple awards in both lines,” she said. “We are confident in the process ahead and certain that Dr. Mohanty’s excellent name will be restored. He is pleading not guilty to the indictment and looks forward to trial.”
Mohanty worked as a doctor at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. The hospital has said the Cambridge resident is on leave and no longer practicing at the hospital.
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Investigators say Mohanty was a passenger aboard a Hawaiian Airlines Flight with a female companion and was allegedly seated next to a 14-year-old travelling with her grandparents, who were sitting nearby.
About halfway through the flight, investigators said, the 14-year-old noticed that Mohanty had covered himself with a blanket up to his neck and that his leg was bouncing up and down.
A short time later the minor saw that the blanket was on the floor, no longer covering Mohanty, and that Mohanty was masturbating, according to prosecutors.
The minor moved herself to an empty seat in a different row. After arriving in Boston, she told members of her family about the incident and police were notified.
The charge of lewd, indecent and obscene acts while in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States carries a sentence of up to 90 days in prison, one year of supervised release and a fine of up to $5,000.
