SEATTLE, Wash. — A 72-year-old Mercer Island man was sentenced Friday to 10 years of supervised release for sexually assaulting a teen on a flight to Seattle while her mother slept nearby.
Munir Walji was convicted following a four-day jury trial in September 2024.
Two of his years will be served as home incarceration.
His attorneys said incarceration could be life-threatening to him, citing his “severe persistent health problems” including blood cancer and reduced lung function. According to his attorneys, his conditions require him to take 20 medications per day.
According to records in the case and testimony at trial, In November of 2021, Walji was seated in the aisle seat next to the 15-year-old on a Delta Airlines flight from Atlanta to Seattle. The girl’s mother was in the window seat.
As the flight neared arrival in Seattle the girl told the jury she felt a hand on her leg, and woke her up. She said she moved away from Walji and tried to go back to sleep, but the touching became more aggressive.
The girl said Walji rubbed her thigh, and then unbuckled her seatbelt and reached inside the waistband of her pants and underwear.
According to records in the case, the flight attendants moved the girl and her mother to a different row and notified law enforcement.
Walji was arrested upon arrival in Seattle.
“This defendant unbuckled the seat belt of the teen sleeping next to him in the confines of an aircraft, and reached inside her pants, attempting to reach her genitals,” said U.S. Attorney Tessa Gorman. “This is shocking conduct that traumatized the victim and impacted her family. We will continue to prosecute these cases demonstrating our commitment to holding these perpetrators accountable.”