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Man who assaulted, groped Frontier Airlines flight attendants sentenced to 60 days in jail

An Ohio man who was restrained to his seat with tape during a Frontier Airlines flight last year after officials say he punched and groped crew members was sentenced this week to 60 days in jail.


Maxwell Berry, 23, pleaded guilty in February in U.S. District Court in Miami to three counts of assault. In addition to his 60-day sentence, he was fined $2,500 and ordered to pay over $1,500 in restitution, court documents show.


The incident occurred on a Frontier Airlines flight last summer from Philadelphia to Miami. The airline at the time confirmed to USA TODAY that a passenger “made inappropriate physical contact with two flight attendants and subsequently physically assaulted another flight attendant.”


“As a result, the passenger needed to be restrained until the flight landed in Miami and law enforcement arrived," the statement continued.


Berry, after ordering multiple alcoholic drinks, brushed his cup against the backside of a flight attendant, multiple outlets reported police said at the time. He later spilled a drink on himself and came out of the plane’s bathroom shirtless. He groped two female flight attendants before punching a male flight attendant, police said.


Video from the flight went viral on social media, garnering millions of views. One clip showed Berry yelling, “You guys (expletive) suck” and discussing his parents' and grandfather’s wealth.


Jordan Galarza, the flight attendant Berry struck, criticized the 60-day sentence to WPLG.

“He made an enemy of everyone on that flight,” Galarza said. “The people on that aircraft saw justice happen – more than what we saw today.”


Berry’s attorney, Jason Kreiss, said in a statement to USA TODAY, “Although we don’t believe 60 days was necessary based on Max’s significant self-reform and other mitigating factors, we respect the judgment of the Court.”


The Federal Aviation Administration as of Tuesday has confirmed 1,311 reports of unruly passengers during 2022.


This article originally appeared on USA Today

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