A 23-year-old Ohio man who authorities say groped two flight attendants and punched a third before being plastered to his seat amid taunts from fellow passengers on a flight last summer has been sentenced to 60 days in prison.
Portions of the episode, which occurred during a Frontier Airlines flight from Philadelphia to Miami on July 31, 2021, were recorded on video. It was among the many altercations received by service workers and angry customers Extensive advertising during the pandemic, Especially on commercial flights.
In February, Maxwell Berry, of Norwalk, Ohio, pleaded guilty in the United States District Court in Miami to three counts of assault. In addition to the prison sentence, Perry was fined $2,500 and paid more than $1,500 in restitution.
Mr. Perry’s lawyer, Jason Kress, argued in a court filing that he should not go to prison for the crime, saying what he did that day was out of his nature and that he had already been severely punished in the form of damage to his reputation.
but in Interview On Tuesday with ABC’s Florida affiliate, WPLG, Jordan Gallarza, the flight attendant who was hit by Mr. Perry, called the 60-day sentence a “disgusting miscarriage of justice”.
“He made an enemy of everyone on that flight,” said Mr. Gallarza. He also defended the way Mr. Perry was physically restrained. Although it “seemed a bit barbaric, the people on that plane saw justice done – more than we saw today,” Mr. Gallarza said.
The confrontations began on the July 31 trip when Mr. Perry ordered a third alcoholic drink and brushed his empty glass onto the back of a flight attendant who said, “Don’t touch me,” according to a criminal complaint.
Authorities said Mr. Perry’s companions took part after he poured the drink on himself and walked out of the bathroom shirtless. A flight attendant told him he needed to get dressed and helped him find a shirt in his bags. Then Mr. Perry walked around the plane for 15 minutes.
According to authorities, he groped two flight attendants on at least two occasions, then punched a flight attendant. Episode videos show Mr. Perry arguing with a flight attendant from his seat while passengers shout, “No!” A video clip shows crew members taping it to the seat.
While chained up, he apparently tried to lure others into the dispute, saying, “My parents are worth $2 million” and “I’m white. I’m sorry — I can’t change that,” a video clip shows.
Once, someone shouted demanding that Mr. Perry’s mouth be shut, and he gagged for a while.
In his submission to the court, Mr. Chris, Mr. Perry’s attorney, confirmed the widespread interest his client’s case had received. “This stigma will inflict him and hinder his personal relationships, ability to obtain employment, eligibility for housing, and positions of trust, and will affect other life issues for the foreseeable future,” he wrote.
In an email after the sentencing, Chris described the requested prison term as not necessary, but added: “Max is looking forward to moving on with his life and putting this incident behind his back.”
Adam Habner, the assistant US attorney who worked on the case, declined to comment on the ruling.
For Mr. Gallarza, the flight attendant, the flight was a success in at least one respect. He told WPLG that his main job on any plane “is to protect passengers, including Maxwell Berry, who got to Miami safely that day.”