Man gave 14-year-old rum so he could ‘violate her’ on flight from Charlotte, feds say
A man who pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl sitting next to him on an evening flight from Charlotte to San Diego will serve time in federal prison, court records show.
Ryan Bill Coffey was 31 when he offered the teenager, who was seated alone, rum on the American Airlines flight on Jan. 7, 2023, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California.
“He gave her alcohol,” then “he gave her more alcohol after learning she was a minor,” prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memorandum.
Another passenger, a witness in the case, recalled that Coffey pulled out a bottle of alcohol from his bag and told the teen it “would help her relax” after she said she has a fear of flying, according to the sentencing memorandum.
Coffey groped the girl’s inner thigh and breasts during the flight, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said Aug. 12, when he pleaded guilty to abusive sexual contact of a minor on an aircraft.
He also “forced his fingers inside of her” and “forced her to perform” sex acts, prosecutors wrote in the sentencing memorandum.
A federal judge sentenced Coffey, of San Diego, to two years in federal prison and 10 years of supervised release on Nov. 4, court records show.
His defense attorneys didn’t immediately respond to McClatchy News’ request for comment Nov. 6.
“It’s clear why he gave her alcohol,” the sentencing memorandum says. “It was so the minor victim would be less able to resist his sexual abuse of her; he could more easily violate her.”
Following the flight, the court ordered Coffey to stop drinking alcohol, but he didn’t, according to the sentencing memorandum.
Prosecutors had argued Coffey needed to be punished for the lifelong trauma he’s caused the teen — “trauma (he) caused for nothing more than his own sexual gratification.”
As part of his sentence, he was ordered to pay $5,583.75 in restitution and a $5,000 penalty under the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act, court records show.
Individuals convicted of crimes related to trafficking, sexual abuse of children and other offenses may be ordered to pay a $5,000 as part of the law, which was established in 2015.
“Thanks to the courage of a brave girl who reported what happened in the dark on a plane, and swift engagement from law enforcement, (Coffey) was brought to justice,” U.S Attorney Tara McGrath said in a statement in August.
American Airlines didn’t immediately respond to McClatchy News’ request for comment.
This story was originally published November 6, 2024 at 12:10 PM with the headline "Man gave 14-year-old rum so he could ‘violate her’ on flight from Charlotte, feds say."
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