Texas
Texas doctor arrested in American Airlines groping incident, banned from flying on planes
A disturbing history of suspected inappropriate behavior has been revealed after a North Texas doctor was accused of groping a woman on an American Airlines flight last week – his third alleged offense in the last three years.
Cherian Abraham, 55, is accused of inappropriately touching a woman while on a flight from Chicago to Seattle on March 18, 2025, according to court documents obtained by Fox News Digital.
On Monday, Abraham was arrested following a federal investigation into allegations that he touched a woman’s breast without consent while traveling from Chicago to Seattle on American Airlines flight 2076.
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A North Texas doctor has been banned from flying on American Airlines following a series of alleged groping incidents.
A spokesperson for American Airlines told Fox News Digital that Abraham is no longer allowed to fly with them.
“We work closely with law enforcement to investigate any allegations of misconduct onboard our aircraft,” the airline spokesperson said.
“The safety of our customers and team members is our highest priority. We take this matter very seriously and are working closely with law enforcement on its investigation,” the statement read.
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Law enforcement officials interviewed Abraham following the flight. They said he denied intentionally touching the woman, claiming it was an accident. Abraham also claimed to have no history of similar accusations against him.
Abraham is a doctor at the Digestive Health Center of North Richland Hills, board-certified in gastroenterology, according to the medical center’s website.
When Fox News Digital asked about his arrest, the medical center declined to comment.
Court records revealed that this was not Abraham’s first time being accused of inappropriate behavior while flying.
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A 55-year-old man, Cherian Abraham, is accused of groping a 22-year-old woman on an American Airlines flight from Chicago to Seattle on March 18. (iStock)
Abraham was previously accused of groping two other women in separate incidents in 2023 and 2024, records show.
In April 2024, a woman reported that Abraham inappropriately touched her multiple times before placing his hands between her legs, after she repeatedly yelled at him to stop.
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The first accusation took place in October 2023 after another woman reported that Abraham touched her leg three times before she told him to stop. The woman reported Abraham’s unwanted actions to a flight attendant, but did not press charges.
Charges have not been filed yet against Abraham, but according to an FBI complaint obtained by the Dallas Morning News, officials found “probable cause” that Abraham committed the offense of abusive sexual contact.
Abraham has since been released on appearance bond subject to several conditions, the outlet reported, which include certain travel restrictions and the surrender of any current or expired passports.
Stepheny Price is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. She covers topics including missing persons, homicides, national crime cases, illegal immigration, and more. Story tips and ideas can be sent to stepheny.price@fox.com
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Texas
Texas man accused of killing pregnant wife allegedly cuts off ankle monitor and flees to Italy
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A Texas man facing charges for allegedly killing his pregnant wife has reportedly cut off his ankle monitor and fled abroad.
Lee Mongerson Gilley, 39, is accused of murdering his wife, Christa Bauer Gilley, and the couple’s unborn child in Houston in 2024, according to KPRC.
Gilley was set to appear in court Tuesday, but instead flew from Texas to Canada, and finally Italy, where he told authorities he was seeking asylum after being “wrongfully prosecuted” and is fearful of receiving the death penalty, his attorney told the outlet.
“I’m concerned that the prosecution will try to say that it’s evidence of consciousness of guilt that he’s running from it, but I think he’s just scared,” defense attorney Dick DeGuerin reportedly said.
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Lee Mongerson Gilley, 39, is accused of murdering his wife, Christa Bauer Gilley, and their unborn child in Houston in 2024, according to KPRC. (Christa Bauer Gilley/Facebook)
Gilley, whose murder trial was set to begin later this month, is reportedly in the custody of Italian authorities. His ankle monitor alerted authorities it had been tampered with on Friday, according to the outlet.
DeGuerin told the outlet that before Gilley can be returned to Texas, the state must certify to Italy that he is not eligible for the death penalty — which the prosecution is not seeking in his case.
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Gilley is accused of killing his wife, Christa, and their unborn baby by “applying pressure to [her] neck and upper back” on Oct. 7, 2024, according to charging documents obtained by People.
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Defense attorney Ed McClees and his client, Lee Mongerson Gilley, appear in the 497th District Court at the Harris County Justice Center in Houston on Oct. 17, 2024. Gilley is charged with capital murder in the death of his wife, Christa Gilley. (Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)
Prosecutors reportedly allege Gilley initially claimed Christa, who was nine months pregnant, had overdosed and that he had tried to save her with CPR, but a medical examiner later pointed to evidence of strangulation and ruled her death a homicide.
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After he was arrested days later, Gilley allegedly admitted his wife was not a drug user or suicidal, and that the couple had been arguing before her death, KPRC reported.
In 2025, while out on bond, prosecutors reportedly allege Gilley and an unnamed woman, whom he had an affair with in 2023, devised a scheme to flee to Mexico and other countries, according to the outlet.
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Prosecutors allege Lee Mongerson Gilley killed his wife, Christa Bauer Gilley, who was nine months pregnant, in Houston in 2024. (Christa Bauer Gilley/Facebook)
“The Defendant also inquired as to whether she knew of a Mexican identity he could acquire to facilitate his departure from the country,” the document said.
Gilley also allegedly “provided a detailed plan” to remove his GPS monitor and perform a sham marriage to obtain a new identity, prosecutors reportedly said.
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Authorities are working to extradite Gilley back to the country, according to KPRC.
Gilley’s defense attorney and the Harris County District Attorney’s Office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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