Alpharetta Man Goes to Prison for Sexual Offense on Delta Flight

An Alpharetta resident was sentenced to federal prison for the sexual assault of a sleeping passenger on a Delta flight form Dallas to Atlanta.

Ranchhodbhai Lakha, 61, of Alpharetta, was sentenced today, Sept. 13, by U.S. District Judge Richard W. Story to six months in prison followed by one year of supervised release, and fined $5,000, on a charge of abusive sexual contact. Lakha also must register as a sex offender. He pleaded guilty to the charge on June 29.

U.S. Attorney Sally Quillian Yates said, “This defendant thought he could get away with taking advantage of a defenseless, sleeping passenger sitting next to him. He was wrong. He will now serve time in a federal prison.”

According to Yates, the charges and evidence presented in court, the incident occurred on Sept. 28, 2010, on a Delta flight from Dallas to Atlanta. A 20-year-old woman seated in the same row with Lakha fell asleep, and woke up to discover Lakha, a former hotel owner, touching her below the waist. She quickly removed his hand and told him not to do that. Lakha responded by asking the victim, “Is that OK–you don't like that?” The woman responded no and recoiled her body to protect herself.

At that point Lakha reached down and touched her again. The woman got up from her seat and immediately reported the assault to a Delta flight attendant.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Atlanta Police Department and the Federal Air Marshals.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph Plummer, Katherine Hoffer and Suzette Smikle prosecuted the case.