Beth Israel Deaconess doctor charged with ‘lewd act’ in front of girl on plane from Hawaii - Boston Herald

A Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center doctor is accused of pleasuring and exposing himself while seated next to a 14-year-old girl on a flight from Hawaii to Boston last year.

Sudipta Mohanty, 33, of Cambridge, was arrested Thursday and charged by criminal complaint with one count of lewd, indecent and obscene acts while in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States. He was released following an initial appearance in federal court in Boston.

The charge carries a sentence of up to 90 days in prison followed by a year of supervised release and a fine of up to $5,000.

"About half-way through the flight MOHANTY was masturbating next to Minor A. Minor A was disgusted and very uncomfortable. She then moved to a different seat," an affidavit filed in the case on Wednesday alleges.

The Hawaiian Airlines flight departed from Honolulu on May 27, 2022, and arrived in Boston the next morning. Mohanty boarded the flight with a female companion, who sat on his left in a middle row of four seats on the flight, while the girl was seated to his right at the aisle, according to the court doc. The affidavit does not note an occupant seated at the left aisle seat of the middle section.

Mohanty and the woman held hands, cuddled and asked each other what the girl referred to in an Aug. 16, 2022, forensic interview as "basic level" questions like "What is your favorite color?" which the girl said she found strange. The alleged incident for which Mohanty is charged came about 5 hours into the flight, the affidavit states.

"MOHANTY had covered himself with a blanket up to his neck. Minor A noticed that MOHANTY's leg was bouncing up and down. Minor A was not really sure why that was but did not think anything of it," the affidavit states.

But the blanket later fell to the floor, the girl told the forensic interviewer, and she could see it wasn't his leg bouncing at all in addition to plenty she didn't want to see. She secured a different seat next to another passenger, but she didn't tell the passenger what had allegedly happened, she said, because she didn't want to "freak" anyone out.

Mohanty was identified as the suspect by Hawaiian Airlines' seat assignment records, according to the affidavit.

"Everyone, especially children, has the absolute right to not be exposed to lewd conduct when they are traveling," said Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua Levy in a statement following the initial court appearance. "If you engage in the type of illicit behavior alleged here, you will be caught and held accountable wherever it happens."

Mohanty's Beth Israel Deaconess provider profile notes that he practices internal medicine and works as a primary care physician out of Healthcare Associates, 330 Brookline Ave. His profile notes he speaks Russian, Spanish and Thai in addition to English, earned his degree at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

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