MINNEAPOLIS — A Minneapolis man convicted of fondling a 16-year-old boy on a flight into Minneapolis was sentenced to 15 months in prison. Prosecutors contended in a July trial that Neeraj Chopra, 41, pulled a blanket from his backpack and draped it over his lap, as well as the right leg of the boy in the next seat. Chopra also put his head under the blanket, prosecutors said. This was on a two-hour JetBlue flight from Boston. The boy told investigator that he told Chopra several times to stop but he didn’t. Chopra told the jury back that he had no recollection of the incident. The federal jury didn’t believe him. Nor did U.S. District Judge Nancy Brasel.

Chopra. Charge was inappropriate touching.

Details

CAUTIONARY NOTE: This item contains sordid detail alleged in a pre-sentencing memo to Judge Brasel  from the U.S. Attorney’s Office:

A 16-year old boy was on a family trip to Buffalo, New York, where they had attended a hockey tournament. This was April 8, 2019. On the second keg of the trip home to Minneapolis, on JetBlue Flight 1735, family members were unable to sit together. The boy, identified in court documents only as N.F., took his window seat. Chopra was seated in the middle seat next to N.F. Another passenger was initially seated in the aisle seat next to Chopra but left his seat during the flight and did not return. Chopra did not move to the empty seat but stayed next to N.F. . Chopra took a blanket out of his backpack and draped it over his lap, as well as over a portion of N.F.’s right leg. With his arm under the blanket, Chopra placed his hand on N.F.’s right knee. N.F. moved closer to the window and asked Chopra to move over: “Do you mind?” Chopra apologized and removed his hand from N.F.’s knee but stayed in the next seat. Chopra then took put his tablet and initiated N.F. in conversation about his background in internet technology and showed N.F.  things on the screen, including photos of himself and friends partying. Chopra also asked the boy if he wanted to hang out sometime. N.F.  explained that he was a junior in high school. Pressed further by Chopra, N.F. entered a fake name and phone number into Chopra’s cellular phone. Later in the flight, Chopra put his tray table down and his head on the tray table as if he was sleeping. The blanket was still on Chopra’s lap and N.F.’s leg. With his left arm under the blanket, Chopra again put his hand on N.F.’s right knee and moved his hand around on N.F.’s knee and inner thigh. Afraid and uncomfortable, N.F. tried tapping his older brother., who was seated directly in front of him, but the brother was sleeping and did not respond. N.F. attempted to move away from Chopra and asked him to move. Chopra removed his hand a second time, apologized, and apparently fell asleep. Shortly thereafter Chopra returned his head to the tray table and again touched N.F.’s leg and inner thigh with his hand and arm under the blanket. Unable to get his brother’s attention, N.F. took three photographs of Chopra’s hand and arm on his right leg partially covered by the blanket.  Chopra increasing encroached on N.F.’s personal space. Chopra moved his hand and arm to the side of N.F.’s right leg closest to Chopra, then to the top of N.F.’s leg, and eventually to N.F.’s inner right thigh and groin. N.F.’s right leg was entirely covered by Chopra’s left arm with the elbow resting atop N.F.’s groin. N.F. became so uncomfortable that he began to cry. That got the attention of N.F.’s brother one row up. The brother. summoned a flight attendant and asked her to check on Chopra. Chopra raised his head and responded that he was OK. As Chopra responded, he ran his hand along N.F.’s inner thigh and up over his penis before removing his hand from N.F.’s leg. Soon thereafter, the brother contacted their father and said there was a problem. The boys’ father switched seats with the older brother.  And Chopra, asked by the older brother, finally moved to the long-empty seat next to him. Police met Chopra at the gate. Chopra explained that he had been asleep and having a bad dream about a family member being killed.