Dumb move, smart guy!
A Cornell University visiting scholar was busted for allegedly groping a sleeping woman aboard a flight from Tokyo to Newark Liberty Airport on Sunday night.
Eun Jong Lee, 47, of Ithaca, was nabbed by FBI agents after the plane landed in Newark. He was charged with abusive sexual contact.
Lee, who teaches at the Ivy League school’s College of Human Ecology, appeared in Newark federal court on Monday where he was represented by a public defender but did not enter a plea.
During the 12-hour United Airlines flight, the victim awoke to find the scholar’s “hands located on the top of her shirt and touching her breast through her clothing,” the complaint says.
Lee then “touched the skin of the victim’s neck with his hand and attempted to place his hand down the front of the victim’s shirt.”
The woman asked Lee to stop “touching her,” and he quickly got up from his seat and headed toward the bathroom, the complaint says.
The woman reported the incident to flight crew members, who contacted the feds.
Lee is also a professor at Handong Global University in South Korea. He faces up to two years in jail and $250,000 in fines, if convicted.
Lee’s public defender could not be reached for comment.
“Eun-jong Lee is not an employee of Cornell University. He has been a visiting scholar on the campus. His privileges at Cornell have been suspended and his future affiliation with the university will be assessed as the facts of this matter are confirmed. The University is cooperating with the authorities. We have no further comment on this matter,” said Cornell spokesman Joel Malina.