Josip Pasic

Introduction

Josip Pasic, an 85-year-old man from Chicago, was found guilty in federal court on October 29, 2026 of engaging in abusive sexual contact on an aircraft, for touching a fellow passenger on multiple occasions during an international flight — over the passenger’s objections, and partly hidden by a piece of black fabric he draped over his hand. U.S. District Judge Andrea R. Wood convicted him after a three-day bench trial; the conviction is punishable by up to two years in federal prison, with sentencing not yet scheduled .

Background Information

The offense occurred on August 17, 2024, aboard an Austrian Airlines flight from Vienna, Austria, to Chicago. Pasic sat next to the victim. On multiple occasions during the flight, per the court findings, he touched the victim’s outer thigh, inner thigh, and groin area — conduct the victim objected to each time it happened .

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Convicted; sentencing pending.

What distinguishes the case is how it was proven. To hide what he was doing, Pasic sometimes covered all or part of his hand with a black piece of fabric. The victim, rather than simply enduring it, began covertly recording Pasic’s actions on a cell phone camera — turning a seatmate’s word against his into video evidence of the abuse as it happened .

The victim showed the videos to a flight attendant and was relocated to another part of the plane for the remainder of the flight. At trial, the victim testified about the ordeal on the flight, testimony the Justice Department release describes as brave. Judge Wood’s conviction followed the three-day bench trial .

Public Reaction and Consequences

The conviction was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Ryan Whalen, Special Agent-in-Charge of the FBI’s Chicago Field Office. U.S. Customs and Border Protection provided valuable assistance in the case. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Hayley Altabef and Cornelius Vandenberg. The release records no statement from Pasic or his defense .

Current Status

Pasic stands convicted of abusive sexual contact on an aircraft and awaits sentencing, which Judge Wood has not yet scheduled. The maximum punishment is two years in federal prison — a statutory ceiling set by the aircraft-contact statute rather than the facts found at trial .

Impact on Their Career/Life

At 85, Pasic’s conviction lands as a federal criminal record for conduct captured on a passenger’s phone at 35,000 feet. The two-year statutory maximum limits the custodial exposure, but a conviction after trial — with the victim’s testimony and recordings accepted by a federal judge — closes whatever ambiguity a no-arrest outcome would have left. The case now sits where the release leaves it: convicted, unsentenced, and identified by the seat he chose .

Sources

• U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Illinois, “Man Convicted of Sexually Abusing Fellow Passenger Aboard International Flight to Chicago,” October 29, 2026 — source