Sterling Man Indicted For Alleged Abusive Sexual Conduct During Flight

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Saurabh Agarwal, age 40, of Sterling, Va., was indicted today on one count of abusive sexual contact. 

            Neil H. MacBride, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Valerie Parlave, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, made the announcement following the return of the indictment. 

            Agarwal faces a maximum sentence of two years imprisonment, if convicted.

            According to court documents, Agarwal allegedly fondled the breast of the woman seated next to him on an American Airlines flight from Miami to Reagan National Airport on April 10, 2013.  Agarwal is alleged to have initiated this conduct after the victim fell asleep following take off. 

The investigation is being conducted by FBI’s Washington Field Office.  Assistant United States Attorney Patricia Haynes and Special Assistant United States Attorney Elizabeth Rawlings are prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
Criminal indictments are only charges and not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on https://pcl.uscourts.gov.