FAYETTEVILLE — A North Carolina man has been sentenced to 10 months in prison for sexually assaulting a 17-year-old girl during a flight on a commercial airliner last year, a federal prosecutor said Wednesday.
U.S. Attorney Michael Easley said in a news release that Ryan Eugene Larned, 38, of Fayetteville was also sentenced to five years’ supervised release and was ordered to pay a $2,000 fine for sexual contact without consent. Larned also will have to register as a sex offender, the news release said.
Larned pleaded guilty to the charges in July 2021 and was sentenced as part of his plea agreement Tuesday.
According to court documents and court presentations, Larned was flying from Charlotte-Douglas International Airport to Raleigh-Durham International Airport and was seated next to a teenager, who was flying alone.
According to the news release, Larned touched the teenager’s groin, then placed his jacket over the teen and himself and reached into her pants. The teen immediately reported the assault, prosecutors said.