FLORIDA—A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Deportation officer has been convicted after he reportedly filmed a flight attendant and attempted to take photographs up the victim’s skirt during a flight, said the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida (USAO).
Billy Olvera, 48, of Laredo, Texas, was convicted of interfering with a flight crew following a May 22 trial.
The incident is said to have occurred when Mr Olvera was traveling from Dallas, Texas, to Miami, Florida, on Nov. 6, 2023, in his official capacity as an ICE deportation officer while transporting an individual for removal.
According to the USAO, a flight attendant noticed Olvera holding his phone in the aisle, aimed towards the ceiling, each time she walked by him. The victim notified another flight attendant, who filmed Mr Olvera the next time the victim walked by him.
Reportedly, Mr Olvera could be seen attempting to film up the skirt of the victim, the USAO said.
The flight attendants notified the pilot, who had the flight attendants change duties, and delayed taxiing until law enforcement could meet the flight at the gate.
A federal search warrant of Mr Olvera’s phone is said to have revealed numerous images and videos taken of the victim and pictures and videos that attempted to capture a vantage point up the victim’s skirt.
A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Aug. 16 before Chief Judge Cecilia M. Altonaga.
Mr Olvera faces up to 20 years in prison. The federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, the Department of Homeland Security, the Office of the Inspector General (DHS OIG), and Special Agent in Charge Jimmy Valenzuela for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Office of Professional Responsibility (ICE OPR) jointly made the announcement.
