A jury found Munir Walji, 72, guilty of attempted sexual abuse of a minor and abusive sexual contact. A judge gave him house arrest and 10 years of supervision.
A jury found Munir Walji, 72, guilty of attempted sexual abuse of a minor and abusive sexual contact. A judge gave him house arrest and 10 years of supervision.
A federal judge sentenced a Mercer Island man to 10 years of supervised release, including two years of house arrest, on Friday for sexually assaulting a teenage girl on a flight.
A jury found Munir Walji, 72, guilty of one count of attempted sexual abuse of a minor and one count of abusive sexual contact in special aircraft jurisdiction last September, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
District Judge Tana Lin said Walji’s conduct warranted a term of incarceration, but declined to impose prison time due to his poor health. Walji’s attorneys noted he’d been diagnosed with blood cancer and reduced lung function.
According to prosecutors, Walji was seated next to a 15-year-old girl on a Delta flight from Atlanta to Seattle on Nov. 10, 2021. Prosecutors say he touched her leg as she slept, continued to do so as she tried to move away and touched her under her clothing.
In an email, Walji’s attorney Tim Rusk issued a statement: “Mr. Walji has steadfastly denied these allegations from the moment he realized he was being falsely accused of misconduct. He maintains his innocence and plans to pursue an appeal.”
In-flight sexual assault has reportedly been on the rise for years. In 2023, the Federal Bureau of Investigation opened 96 cases based on in-flight sexual assault, according to a news release published last year. Perpetrators typically target fellow plane passengers, typically girls and young women, according to the release, taking advantage of close and dark quarters.
Victims can often feel wary or fearful of reporting such incidents, especially due to the confined environment of a plane.