A Downtown man who molested a 14-year-old girl on a cross-country airplane flight from North Carolina to San Diego has been sentenced to two years in federal prison.

Ryan Bill Coffey, 33, surrendered on Nov. 4 just after U.S. District Court Judge Anthony Battaglia sentenced him and ordered him to pay $5,583 for medical expenses after the girl was examined at Rady Children’s Hospital.

The incident occurred on Jan. 7, 2023, when Coffey was seated next to the girl, who was traveling alone to San Diego from North Carolina. He got a blanket to put over himself and the girl and gave her alcohol from a bottle in his carry-on bag, according to court records.

“The defendant preyed upon an anxious, vulnerable 14-year-old who was traveling alone,” wrote U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath in a sentencing brief.

“It’s clear why he gave her alcohol. It was so the minor victim would be less able to resist his sexual abuse of her, and he forced her to perform oral sex on him,” wrote McGrath.

Battaglia ordered Coffey to register as a sex offender for life in the next community where he will live after his release. The judge recommended Coffey be placed in a sex offender treatment program while in prison.

Another passenger told officials she was suspicious of the man’s intentions with the girl, but they were covered up with a blanket, court records say. The passenger did not know they were strangers or that the girl was a minor.

“Thanks to the courage of a brave girl who reported what happened in the dark on a plane, and swift engagement from law enforcement, this defendant was brought to justice,” said McGrath.

Battaglia imposed a $5,000 fine against Coffey, courtesy of the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015, after finding this category fit the crime. Coffey will be on supervised release for eight years after he finishes his term and he is barred from loitering within 200 yards of a school, park, pool, daycare center, or library.

Coffey pleaded guilty Aug. 12 to abusive sexual contact. He waived his right to appeal.

His lawyer asked for credit for time served, while the U.S. Attorney’s office sought the 2-year term that he received. Coffey remains incarcerated at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in San Diego.