Indian techie sentenced to 9-months prison for sexual assault charges

, Sept 12: An

techie has been sentenced to nine months of imprisonment on sexual assault charges with a co-passenger and faces deportation once his sentence is complete, a report said.

Srinivasa S Erramilli, 46, has also been fined USD 5,000 and has been placed on court supervision for a year post his release.

This is not the first time that Erramilli has landed in a sexual assault case. In fact, he has previous two convictions for nearly identical crimes. According to the Department of Justice, evidence shows that Erramili boarded a Southwest Airlines flight to Chicago's Midway Airport. He was the last passenger to board the plane and found himself an open seat next to the victim. The victim had chosen a window seat whereas her husband had chosen an aisle seat for the flight as per their convinience.

Erramilli, saw the seat next to the victim unoccupied and seated himself. According to the victim's testimony, Erramilli groped her three times aboard the plane.

US District Judge Joan H Lefkow, in her order, said that a custodial sentence was necessary to deter Erramilli and others from invading an individual's bodily intergrity and also to ensure that victims of abusive sexual contact will be heard and given protection.

Erramilli is prohibited from airline travel, while he is on supervised release and also he is subjected to deportation to India after his release.

OneIndia News