OAN Staff Abril Elfi
10:37 AM – Wednesday, July 30, 2025
The ex-girlfriend of a Delta Airlines pilot who was arrested last weekend on child sex abuse charges after landing at San Francisco International Airport (SFO), has since been arrested as well — after being accused of joining in on the disturbing sexual abuse of her own daughter.
According to charging documents, Jennifer Powell, 45, was charged on Tuesday for allegedly joining her ex-boyfriend, Rustom Bhagawar, 34, in sexually abusing her daughter from the time the young girl was 6-years-old until she was 11. Powell’s mugshot has not yet been publicly released.
A probable cause statement shared by KTVU reported that Powell not only knew that her daughter, who did not live with her, was being abused, but she also watched and even participated alongside him.
It is unclear why Powell’s daughter did not live with her own mother.
Bhagwagar, 34, was taken into custody on Saturday night by federal agents aboard Delta Flight 2809, shortly after it arrived in San Francisco from Minneapolis.
He now faces 24 felony counts of engaging in child sex abuse acts with a minor aged 10 or under, as well as oral copulation, lewd acts, and aggravated sexual assault on a child. Initially, he was only charged with five counts of oral copulation with a child under the age of 10.
Powell, the alleged victim’s mother, is also facing a slew of child sexual abuse charges — and both she and her pilot ex-boyfriend face up to 15 years in prison if convicted.
Bhagwagar, a current resident of Florida, became the subject of an investigation in April after the sheriff’s office received a report involving allegations of child sexual abuse. There is currently no publicly available information regarding his place of birth or details about his pilot training or early career.
Delta Airlines, Bhagwagar’s former employer, has also since released a statement confirming that he has been suspended from the airline — pending the investigation.
“Delta has zero tolerance for unlawful conduct and will fully cooperate with law enforcement,” a spokesperson told KTVU. “We are appalled by reports of the charges related to the arrest and the individual in question has been suspended pending an investigation.”
District Attorney Diana Becton said in a statement that both Bhagwagar and Powell are being held at the Martinez Detention Center on a $15 million bond.
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