Metro
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Aug 26, 2023 | 8:17am
A Queens caterer strapped a married man to a seat and sexually assaulted him on board a Hawaiian Airlines flight from New York to Honolulu, authorities said.
Juan Carlos Rios Gaviria was arrested Tuesday in Brooklyn on suspicion of repeatedly groping a man, identified only as SD in court documents, on a July 25 flight.
Prosecutors said Gaviria, 52, sat next to the alleged victim and made small talk before shifting the conversation to the size of men’s penises in different countries.
He then began groping passengers before takeoff and again after takeoff, according to the indictment.
According to the FBI, Gaviria also repeatedly told the man that she was “not interested”, “not interested”, and that she had a wife and children. It is said that he tried to drag him to
At one point during the flight, Gaviria went to the bathroom, and when she came back, she pressed the man’s shoulders and actively grabbed his genitals.
The alleged victim used an on-board touchscreen to get the attention of a flight attendant.
“A flight attendant seemed to be trying to contain her anger,” said a source close to the investigation, who told the stewardess she should keep away from “inappropriate” neighbors.
![Juan Carlos Rios Gaviria.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/NYPICHPDPICT000026703275.jpg?w=866)
![Juan Carlos Rios Gaviria.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/NYPICHPDPICT000026703275.jpg?w=866)
Gaviria tried to explain it by claiming it was a “small seat” and that she was “too big”.
According to the indictment, the stewardess impressed the SD who was “on the verge of tears” and when she returned to Gavaria, the SD pretended not to understand English.
An arrest warrant was issued for Gaviria on Aug. 4, and she appeared at the FBI building in Brooklyn on Tuesday.
![Hawaiian Airlines Boeing 767 Honolulu Airport, Hawaii, USA.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/NYPICHPDPICT000026703934.jpg?w=1024)
![Hawaiian Airlines Boeing 767 Honolulu Airport, Hawaii, USA.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/NYPICHPDPICT000026703934.jpg?w=1024)
The case was transferred from the Brooklyn Federal Court to the District Court of Hawaii.