Woman faces charges in Delta pilot's child sex crime case

(KRON) – A mugshot has been released for the woman who was arrested in connection to the case of a Delta Air Lines pilot who was arrested at San Francisco International Airport and charged with child sex crimes.

On Tuesday, the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office announced the arrest of 45-year-old Jennifer Powell on charges involving sex crimes against a child.

Woman Charged in Child Sex Crime Case Involving Delta Pilot
Jennifer Powell, 45, is pictured in a mugshot released by the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office in California. (Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office)

A day earlier, the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office announced that Powell had been charged with a felony complaint.

Powell’s arrest follows the Sunday arrest of 34-year-old Rustom Bhagwagar, a Delta pilot and Florida resident who was taken into custody immediately upon landing at SFO Sunday night. Bhagwagar, prosecutors announced Tuesday, will be arraigned on 24 felony charges that include engaging in a sexual act with a child 10 years old or younger, oral copulation with a child, forceable lewd acts upon a child, and aggravated sexual assault of a child.

Woman Charged in Child Sex Crime Case Involving Delta Pilot
Rustom Bhagwagar, 34, was arrested Sunday immediately upon landing at SFO. (Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office)

Authorities said the abuses occurred between 2018 and 2023 in Contra Costa County. Bhagwagar, currently a Florida resident, is being held in the Martinez Detention Center on $15 million bail. Powell is also being held in the Martinez Detention Facility.

Powell, like Bhagwagar, is also facing 24 counts that include oral copulation or sexual penetration with a child 10 years or younger, forcible lewd acts on a child, and aggravated sexual assault of a child, according to court documents obtained by affiliate KRON.

Authorities said that due to the victim’s age and the nature of the alleged crimes, their identity will not be released.

Powell and Bhagwagar, who were arraigned in court Wednesday, both potentially face 15 years to life in prison.

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