A woman flying from Houston to Albuquerque on Sunday was inappropriately touched by a male passenger on the plane who grabbed the right side of her breast. The accused Florida man was held in federal custody after being charged with abusive sexual conduct. After the arrest, Bruce Michael Alexander, 49, a Tampa resident told an FBI agent that ‘President of the United States says it’s OK to grab women by their private parts’, according to a criminal complaint. The charge carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison and a 250,000 dollar fine. American Airlines Passenger Gropes Woman on Board, Arrested by Police Officers & Tasered: Watch Videos.

As reported by CNN, the woman was identified in court documents as C.W. She told the investigators she fell asleep after boarding 15 to 20 minutes into the flight and she felt a movement on the right side of the sweater, the complaint said. The woman also claimed that she was touched twice by the accused who was sitting behind her on the flight. The second time, ‘she rose from her seat, turned around and told the passenger behind her that she didn’t know why he thought it was OK and he needed to stop.’

The woman was later relocated to the rear of the plane. Alexander told investigators that he slept for most of the flight and doesn’t recall touching the woman. After being handcuffed he told the investigators that ‘the President of the United States says it’s OK to grab women by their private parts,’ referring to a 2005 recording in which Trump said that, as a star, ‘you can do anything,’ including grabbing a woman’s genitals.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 24, 2018 11:00 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).