Miami Standard  – A 55-year-old man is accused of groping a 22-year-old woman aboard an American Airlines aircraft on March 18.

According to court filings, Cherian Abraham, 55, is accused of sexually touching a woman on a flight from Chicago to Seattle on March 18, 2025.

Court documents also show that Abraham was previously accused of touching two other women in separate incidents in 2023 and 2024.

The 22-year-old victim sat in the middle seat, with Abraham on the window seat.

About two and a half hours into the flight, the victim claimed Abraham brushed her breast over her clothing, saying the contact was incidental as he reached for his luggage.

Five minutes later, the victim reported that Abraham slipped his hand under her arm and touched her breast again. According to court filings, his hand gesture indicated that he was attempting to touch her nipple.

After around 20 seconds, the victim glanced at Abraham and asked him to withdraw his hand.

Another five minutes later, the victim claimed Abraham had slid his hand under her arm and prodded her. Believing he was attempting to grope her again, she challenged him, saying, “Why the f* are you touching me?”**

Abraham did not answer, instead reaching under the seat in front of him and retrieving a rucksack, which he then placed in his lap.

The woman then exited her seat and reported the incident to a flight attendant.

A witness in the aisle reported that the victim awoke them mid-flight and told them she wanted to get up because the man next to her was abusing her. The witness, who had been sleeping for the majority of the journey, did not observe the claimed incidents but did notice that when they awoke, Abraham had a bag between his legs, which they called “unusual.”

The victim relocated to a different seat and had no additional interactions with Abraham.

Following the flight, law officials interviewed Abraham, who denied knowingly touching the victim or having a history of such charges.

According to court documents, Abraham has previously faced two allegations.

In April 2024, a woman told American Airlines Customer Relations that Abraham inappropriately grabbed her many times before inserting his hands between her legs. She claimed to have constantly yelled at him to stop.

Another woman stated in October 2023 that Abraham touched her leg three times before she ordered him to stop. She told a flight attendant but decided not to press charges.