Shame-faced mugshot of Delta pilot's ex who's accused of helping him sexually abuse her daughter
Rustom Bhagwagar, 34, and his ex-lover Jennifer Powell, 45, were both arrested in connection with the appalling crimes they allegedly committed against her daughter between 2018 and 2023.
Powell, who was seen looking disheveled with what appeared to be a busted lip in her mugshot, knew Bhagwagar was sexually abusing her child and even watched and participated in the crimes, court documents claim.
According to prosecutors, the alleged abuse started when the girl was just six and went on until she was 11, which was around the time Powell and Bhagwagar split.
The former couple both appeared in court Wednesday. They did not enter pleas and remain in custody on a $15 million bail.
Powell's Facebook page paints an entirely different picture of her - as she's bragged about being a 'full time mom' and shared several smiley images of her with children.
The young victim did not live with her mother at the time, authorities said. It is unclear if the victim is biologically related to Bhagwagar.
The disgraced airline pilot was arrested in front of his coworkers and passengers by Contra Costa County detectives on Saturday after his flight, Delta 2809, touched down at San Francisco International Airport from Minneapolis.
The sheriff's office started looking into the co-pilot in April 'after receiving a report of sex crimes against a child,' the agency previously told Daily Mail.
Both Bhagwagar and Powell face 24 felony charges, including engaging in a sexual act with a child 10 years old or younger, oral copulation with a child, forcible lewd acts upon a child and aggravated sexual assault of a child, court records show.
If convicted, they could each face up to 15 years to life behind bars, District Attorney Diana Becton told Fox 2.
Becton stressed the severity of the case and how important it is to the DA's office to protect minors at all costs.
'Protecting the safety of children and young people in our community is one of the highest priorities for the district attorney's office,' she said.
Haleigh Parkinson, the prosecutor handling their case, told the outlet her main priority is to advocate for the child.
'Obviously, this is a tough place to be in, and we want to make sure we do everything we can to protect her identity now and going forward,' Parkinson stated.
Bhagwager, of Homestead, Florida, was seen in his mugshot wearing his pilot uniform and a stone-faced expression.
In now-viral video footage, plain clothed Homeland Security investigators were seen swarming the aircraft before arresting Bhagwagar.
They were assisting the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Department after receiving a tip about alleged child sex crimes, a spokesperson with the Department of Homeland Security told Daily Mail.
A Ramey arrest warrant, which is issued by a judge before criminal charges are filed, was then served to the suspect.
Federal Aviation records viewed by Daily Mail reveal Bhagwagar was licensed to fly a Boeing 757-300 – the type of plane used for the Delta 2809 flight on Saturday evening.
After the first set of agents slapped handcuffs on Bhagwager, a second team returned to the plane to collect his personal belongings, the viral clip showed.
The arrest appeared to shock the other employees on the flight, including the remaining pilot.
Bhagwagar's co-pilot, who has not been identified, 'had no idea what just happened,' View from the Wing reported.
Passengers were also left shocked, as one recalled asking a member of the flight crew what was happening.
'I looked at him and said "What's going on?" He said, "I have no idea,"' the passenger told Fox 9.
'And he genuinely looked like this was a surprise, that all of a sudden there was people on the plane, because he had us stand up, we were starting to take our stuff out for arrival and everybody was already in the overhead bin.'
A spokesman for Delta Air Lines told Daily Mail: 'Delta has zero tolerance for unlawful conduct and will fully cooperate with law enforcement.
'We are appalled by reports of the charges related to the arrest and the individual in question has been suspended pending an investigation.'
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