A 28-year-old man from Deering, Alaska, was convicted in U.S. District Court in Seattle for abusive sexual contact during a flight to Seattle, according to an announcement by Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller. Trayton C. Ballot was taken into custody on January 15, 2025, after his Alaska Airlines flight landed at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
Following a two-day trial, the jury deliberated for about an hour before finding Ballot guilty of repeatedly rubbing the inner thigh of a 17-year-old girl seated next to him on the plane for his sexual gratification. Ballot is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge John H. Chun on December 15, 2025, and faces up to two years in prison.
Court records indicate that the victim was traveling with her mother and a friend from Anchorage to Seattle and was seated at the window while Ballot occupied the middle seat near the back of the aircraft. During the flight, Ballot initially appeared asleep but then placed his hand on the victim’s inner thigh and began rubbing it. The victim removed his hand multiple times as he repeated this behavior. After a third attempt, she used her tray table and a stuffed animal as barriers; however, Ballot tried to move his hand under the armrest toward her thigh again but stopped when she pressed down on the stuffed animal.
The victim communicated what happened by typing a message into her phone and showing it to her mother sitting behind her. Following her mother’s advice, she informed flight attendants who then moved her to another seat.
Ballot was arrested upon arrival in Seattle.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI with assistance from Port of Seattle Police.
“The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Carolyn Forstein and Cindy Chang.”
