Registered Sex Offender Sentenced to Six Years for Abusive Sexual Contact on An Aircraft

Orlando, FL - John Daniel Fowler (65, Indianapolis, IN) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Paul G. Byron to 6 years in federal prison for abusive sexual contact on an aircraft. Fowler was also ordered to serve 15 years of supervised release following his release from prison. A federal jury convicted Fowler on January 13, 2026. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to testimony presented at trial, Fowler was seated next to a minor on an aircraft flying from Indianapolis to Orlando. During the flight, Fowler observed the minor taking a cellphone photo through the window of the plane and asked the minor to send him the photo and provided his cellphone number. Several times during the flight, Fowler encroached on the minor's space by placing his hand over the armrest and touching the minor, who pushed Fowler's hand away each time. After the minor fell asleep, Fowler placed his hand under the minor's blanket and touched her genitalia. The minor woke up as the plane was landing in Orlando, while Fowler was still groping her. The minor immediately reported the conduct to the flight crew, who separated the child victim from Fowler and notified law enforcement.

Fowler, a registered sex offender, was previously convicted in Indiana for sexual battery and criminal confinement. That victim, who was an adult at the time of the offense in 2017, testified at this trial to establish a pattern of similar conduct by Fowler. The victim's testimony for that previous conviction established that the victim fell asleep and awoke to Fowler licking her genitalia without her consent.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Federal Air Marshal Service, and the Orlando Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Brandon Cruz and Kaley Austin-Aronson.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.