A man convicted of molesting a woman on a flight from Abu Dhabi to New York will be dodging prison time.
Slap On The Wrist
Last week, Daniel Katz was sentenced to a year of probation and three months of house arrest. And only 75 hours of community service after fondling a 25-year-old woman on a flight back in 2018, according to federal court records.
The judge in the case, Judge Frederic Block, is already known for making controversial decisions according to The New York Post. Block had the opportunity to throw Kats in jail for 21 months but gave him a lighter sentence. Judge Frederic Block did add to that sentence that Katz must be registered as a sex offender.
Gina Claims It Was Not Consented
“Gina,” the victim in the case, sat next to Katz on Eithad Airways flight 103 back on February 23, 2018. According to records, she told authorities once she fell asleep, Katz put his hands down her pants and started to fondle her in her seat. She testified she woke up feeling “terrified” and “violated” and began to cry until she went back to sleep.
“I had absolutely no intention of engaging in any physical, especially sexual, activity with him,” she told the jury, the records show. “It was something that was forced upon me, and I had no say in the experience that I experienced. And so, no part of me would have ever wanted to engage in that type of situation with a stranger aboard a plane and in public space,” she said.
Airline personnel confronted Katz, but he stated it was consensual.
“My neighbor and I began cuddling, which led to us holding hands, and eventually me touching her vagina,” said Katz in a statement.
Rape Was The Case...
“She seemed conscious and also seemed to be enjoying our interaction,” he said. “After some time passed afterward, I began to question my actions because we had just met and were on an airplane. Hours later, she seemed upset talking to her friend, so I asked if she was OK and comfortable with what happened, and she said yes.”
Katz also claims that “Gina” was the aggressor in their interaction.
Gina disputed Katz’s claims and reached out to the airline many times until she decided to call the NYPD rape hotline in March 2018.
Eventually, the case went to the FBI, and Katz was convicted on June 24, 2021.
The judge also ruled that Katz must pay a fine of $110 and stay away from Gina.