Texas man arrested in American Airlines groping incident, banned from flying on planes
A disturbing history of suspected inappropriate behavior has been revealed after a North Texas man was accused of groping a woman on an American Airlines flight last week – his third alleged offense in the last three years.
Cherian Abraham, 55, is accused of inappropriately touching a woman while on a flight from Chicago to Seattle on March 18, 2025, according to court documents obtained by Fox News Digital.
On Monday, Abraham was arrested following a federal investigation into allegations that he touched a woman’s breast without consent while traveling from Chicago to Seattle on American Airlines flight 2076.
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A spokesperson for American Airlines told Fox News Digital that Abraham is no longer allowed to fly with them.
"We work closely with law enforcement to investigate any allegations of misconduct onboard our aircraft," the airline spokesperson said.
"The safety of our customers and team members is our highest priority. We take this matter very seriously and are working closely with law enforcement on its investigation," the statement read.
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Law enforcement officials interviewed Abraham following the flight. They said he denied intentionally touching the woman, claiming it was an accident. Abraham also claimed to have no history of similar accusations against him.
Court records revealed that this was not Abraham's first time being accused of inappropriate behavior while flying.
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Abraham was previously accused of groping two other women in separate incidents in 2023 and 2024, records show.
In April 2024, a woman reported that Abraham inappropriately touched her multiple times before placing his hands between her legs, after she repeatedly yelled at him to stop.
The first accusation took place in October 2023 after another woman reported that Abraham touched her leg three times before she told him to stop. The woman reported Abraham's unwanted actions to a flight attendant, but did not press charges.
Charges have not been filed yet against Abraham, but according to an FBI complaint obtained by the Dallas Morning News, officials found "probable cause" that Abraham committed the offense of abusive sexual contact.
Abraham has since been released on appearance bond subject to several conditions, the outlet reported, which include certain travel restrictions and the surrender of any current or expired passports.