Indian-origin Delta pilot Rustom Bhagwagar pleads not guilty to dozens of child sex abuse charges

Indian-origin Delta Air Lines pilot Rustom Bhagwagar, who was arrested from the cockpit of the flight he was flying, pleaded not guilty in Contra Costa County court Tuesday to dozens of child sex abuse charges.

Pilot Rustom Bhagwagar, 34, and his ex-girlfriend Jennifer Michelle Spitz Powell, 45, were ordered to return to court on August 29 for a preliminary hearing. Their attorneys declined to waive the co-defendants’ rights to a speedy trial, reports said. Bhagwagar and Powell were accused of sexually assaulting a girl who was less than 10 years old. “Due to the victim’s age and the nature of the allegations, the victim will not be named by the District Attorney’s Office in order to protect her identity,” the District Attorney’s Office wrote.On July 26, Bhagwagar was arrested in a cockpit moments after he landed a Delta Air Lines plane at San Francisco International Airport. He was arrested in front of the passengers who were shocked to see agents on the plane as soon as it landed. Prosecutors charged the former couple with 24 felony counts, including oral copulation or sexual penetration with a child 10 years or younger, aggravated sexual assault of a child, and forcible lewd acts upon a child.

District Attorney Diana Becton previously said, “Every child deserves to feel safe, protected, and heard when an injustice like this occurs. Our office stands firmly committed to protecting children and holding those who cause harm accountable.”The pilot is currently locked in the Martinez Detention Facility with $15 million bail.Earlier reports said, Powell was aware that her daughter was being sexually abused by Rustom, and he even watched and participated in the alleged sex crimes against her daughter. The pilot lived in Florida up until his arrest. Powell lived in Pleasant Hill and Alamo, court documents show.