A case involving a married man and a divorcee accused of engaging in sexual activity in business class on a Copa Airlines flight has been dismissed. Mauricio C., 54, and Sandra O., 59, were arrested in early May following an incident aboard a flight from Panama to Rosario, Santa Fe Province, Argentina.
The pair, who reportedly met for the first time on the flight, were seated in the front rows of business class and are alleged to have used a blanket to cover themselves during the act. The incident came to light when a woman traveling with her granddaughter alerted a flight attendant after the child noticed movement under the blanket. The captain was subsequently notified and requested airport police, who arrested the architect and the care home manager.
During a three-month investigation under Argentina's public indecency statute, prosecutors reviewed statements from passengers and crew, along with photographs of the aircraft's interior. One passenger reported seeing the couple kissing and talking but did not witness any explicit sexual acts. Another statement indicated an individual confronted Mauricio after allegedly spotting exposed genitals. There was no CCTV footage available from the business-class cabin.
Sandra's defense argued that the allegations were fabricated in retaliation for a dispute with a flight attendant over a glass of whiskey during mid-flight turbulence. The prosecution ultimately dismissed the case, with Prosecutor María Cecilia Marcolin Loberse ruling that the conduct did not meet the legal threshold for criminal obscenity. Under Argentine law, the statute requires proof of a deliberate intention to expose oneself or offend the modesty of others, which was not substantiated by the gathered evidence.
The dismissal does not confirm or deny that the alleged acts occurred but signifies that the evidence was insufficient to support a criminal offense. The file has been definitively archived. Mauricio, an architect and railway construction manager, is married with three children, while Sandra manages a day center and elder-care facility. Both reside in Rosario.