Overview
- A flight attendant says a passenger slapped her on the buttocks during beverage service, and the pilot diverted the Fort Lauderdale–Los Angeles flight to Atlanta on May 9 after the crew suspended service.
- Atlanta police met the aircraft at the gate, detained 32-year-old Cody James Maluck, and federal agents including an FBI-assigned air marshal took over the investigation and interviews.
- Maluck told investigators he was wearing headphones, admitted touching the attendant’s buttocks but denied slapping her hard enough to move her, and said he was trying to get her attention.
- A federal grand jury in Atlanta returned an indictment in early June charging Maluck with interference with flight crew members or attendants; he remains detained pending trial and faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
- Delta reiterated a zero-tolerance policy for unruly behavior, and the case highlights how federal law covers crimes on planes and is being used more often as airlines and regulators press for stricter enforcement.