A Tampa man told investigators President Donald Trump said it’s “OK to grab women by their private parts,” after he was accused of sexually assaulting a woman during a flight, federal court documents show.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in New Mexico, Bruce Michael Alexander was traveling on a Southwest Airlines flight from Houston to Albuquerque on Sunday when he was accused of inappropriately touching a woman sitting in front of him.
The woman told investigators Alexander, 49, grabbed the side of her breast from behind, according to the criminal complaint. The woman said she fell asleep but felt “a movement” on the right side of her sweater near her bra line about 15 to 20 minutes into the flight.
About 30 minutes later, she felt another touch “slowly and attentively grope her right side,” according to the complaint. This time, she stood up, turned around and told the passenger behind her to stop. She then asked a flight crew member to move seats and was relocated on the plane.
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Alexander was arrested Sunday by the FBI on an abusive sexual contact charge at Albuquerque International Sunport.
In an interview with investigators, Alexander said he slept most of the flight and did not take any sleep aides or drink alcohol, but remembered the woman in front of him spoke to him, then moved seats, according to the complaint.
He was placed in handcuffs and into a vehicle, where Alexander asked about the possible sentence for the charge and said “the President of the United States says it’s OK to grab women by their private parts,” according to the complaint.
If convicted, Alexander could face up to two years in prison and a $250,000 fine, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
This case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of the FBI and the Albuquerque Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack Burkhead.
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