Boston doctor found not guilty of masturbating next to 14-year-old on plane

A Boston doctor who was accused of masturbating next to a 14-year-old girl on a plane has been found not guilty.

A judge cleared Dr. Sudipta Mohanty, 33, of any wrongdoing Wednesday after a three-day trial in Boston federal court.

Mohanty said the accusation had been difficult for his family and he was confused as to why these accusations were launched against him.

“My fiancé was sitting next to me on that flight, and neither of us can understand why this happened to us,” he said in a written statement.

“I have dedicated my life to caring for others as a physician, and it has been heartbreaking to step away while I dealt with these false accusations.”

The Cambridge doctor was accused of performing the lewd act on a Hawaiian Airlines flight in May 2022.

The minor, who was not named, accused him of masturbating until ejaculation after she noticed the blanket he had up to his neck had fallen and his pants were unzipped. She said he had placed a blanket on top of him and was bouncing his leg before the blanket slipped down.

When the former Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center employee went to the restroom, the girl moved to a nearby empty seat and claimed to have felt “disgusted and very uncomfortable,” charging documents said at the time.

After she arrived in Boston, she told her grandparents, whom she was traveling with, about her experience and they notified the police.

Mohanty, however, said that the dozen passengers around them and the flight attendants who were serving passengers never acted like anything was wrong during the time frame the girl accused him of self-pleasure.

After being indicted in September, the doctor opted for a bench trial, meaning he handed his case down to a judge, not a jury.

He faced up to 90 days in prison, a fine of $5,000, and one year of supervised release if he had been convicted.

Prosecutors said they were disappointed with the case’s outcome, saying: “Our office has no reservations about having proceeded with this case. 

“Our office will remain steadfast in supporting victims, particularly minor children. It is critical that victims know they can come forward, and they will be heard and be fully supported by our office,” US Attorney Joshua Levy said.

“Dr. Mohanty is a talented and dedicated medical doctor. He has absolutely no history of wrongdoing whatsoever,” the doctor’s lawyer, Claudia Lagos, said in a statement. “The last six months have been a bizarre nightmare for him, and he is relieved this is finally over so that he can rebuild his life.”

With Post wires