A 74-year-old Florida man is facing federal charges for allegedly groping a flight attendant’s crotch during takeoff, lustily telling the creeped-out woman, “Oh, I smell that perfume.”
When Gary Matthew Sorichetti boarded American Airlines flight 5062 from Sarasota to Charlotte, North Carolina on Feb. 28, 2020, he almost immediately began acting inappropriately, according to a criminal complaint obtained by The Daily Beast.
Sorichetti, who was assigned to seat 23C, stood up a few moments after getting on the plane to let the passenger assigned to 23A sit down, the complaint states.
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“As it was very crowded on the airplane during this time, and Sorichetti is a large man, [flight attendant] SJ opened the lavatory door to provide a bit more room in the aisle for Sorichetti to move and allow 23A to be seated,” it explains. “As Sorichetti stood up, he backed up into SJ and multiple times stated, ‘Am I squishing you, are you squishing me?’ in a playful, not concerned tone.”
Once Sorichetti was reseated, he asked SJ for a seatbelt extender, the complaint says. SJ helpfully told Sorichetti that he could move to a vacant seat once boarding was complete. But when he went to move, he “stood up... and Sorichetti placed both of his hands on SJ’s hips for approximately 3-4 seconds,” according to the complaint.
SJ told her coworker “FS” that Sorichetti was “being a bit weird,” the complaint continues. She then saw Sorichetti was not sitting in the vacant seat she’d directed him to but a seat beside her jump seat.
“Sorichetti did not move and instead stated, ‘Oh, I'm happy and lucky to sit back here with you,’” it says. “SJ again suggested Sorichetti move to seat 23F, or another vacant seat, but Sorichetti again declined and stated he was happy where he was.”
When SJ was preparing for takeoff, Sorichetti said to her, “You look scared,” according to the complaint. SJ denied being frightened, to which Sorichetti told her, “I love the smell of your perfume,” the complaint states.
Sorichetti then attempted a clumsy bit of small talk, telling SJ again that he loved “the smell” of her perfume, and reiterating how “lucky” he was to be sitting next to her. When he asked where SJ lived, she lied and said, “Georgia.”
The flight was delayed due to a visit to the area by then-Vice President Mike Pence, and Sorichetti asked SJ, “Did you vote for Pence?” to which SJ said she “didn’t want to talk about politics.” The captain made an announcement telling the passengers that they could get up to use the lavatory, if necessary. SJ took the opportunity to once again walk up front to tell her coworker that Sorichetti was “being creepy,” according to the complaint.
SJ then began assisting passengers throughout the cabin, prompting Sorichetti to stop her and ask, “Why do you keep walking around, why don’t you sit down?” She ignored him but when the captain eventually said the flight was ready to take off, SJ went back to her jump seat, next to Sorichetti.
“Oh, I smell that perfume,” he said, according to the complaint.
As the plane lifted off, Sorichetti “stretched his left arm across SJ’s legs, over the down positioned arm rest, touched her left knee and dragged his hand up her thigh to her crotch area,” it continues. “SJ was wearing a skirt. Sorichetti’s thumb was on SJ’s inner thigh as he slowly moved his hand up her inner thigh and touched her crotch. SJ told Sorichetti, ‘Don’t do that,’ and Sorichetti quickly moved his hand.”
The flight crew notified authorities on the ground, and the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department contacted the FBI, which has jurisdiction over U.S. aircraft. An agent interviewed FS, who said he observed the grope.
An arrest warrant for Sorichetti, on one count of abusive sexual contact, was issued on March 4, 2021. He was taken into custody on April 27, more than two years later, and freed the next day. The conditions of Sorichetti’s release remain sealed, and it’s unclear why it took so long to arrest him.
The FAA fielded nearly 2,500 reports of unruly passengers in 2022, with 831 of them being referred for investigation. That’s up from 146 investigations in 2019, but down sharply from just under 1,100 in 2021. This year, the agency has dealt with nearly 20 in-flight incidents, including sexual assaults, inappropriate touching, and threats of violence.
“If you act out on a plane, you should just stay at home because we will come after you with serious consequences,” acting FAA Administrator Billy Nolen said in a statement last month. “We have zero tolerance for unruly behavior.”
If convicted, Sorichetti, who does not have a lawyer listed in court records and was unable to be reached for comment on Monday, faces up to two years in prison. American Airlines did not immediately respond to The Daily Beast’s request for comment.
