The FBI has not contacted a woman who alleges she saw former Wheel of Fortune announcer Jim Thornton viewing a chatroom containing messages about children on an American Airlines flight, according to sources close to the witness.
The woman was reportedly told by the Los Angeles Police Department that the federal agency would get in touch with her after she gave a statement about the incident. She has not heard from the FBI, the sources said.
The FBI has declined to say whether it is investigating. A representative said: “The FBI does not, as a matter of policy, confirm or deny the existence of investigations.”
The alleged incident took place in May during a flight from Charlotte to Los Angeles. The passenger is said to have taken photographs of messages displayed on Thornton’s laptop, including references to “cute boys” and a “hot little girl”.
Another message allegedly referred to an “All-you-can-eat Boyfett”, described as a reference to a restaurant where underage children could be found. The passenger also saw a reference to “CP”, which she believed meant child pornography.
After becoming concerned, the passenger told a flight attendant and shared the photographs with crew members. The captain then notified authorities, and law enforcement was waiting when the aircraft landed at Los Angeles International Airport.
The witness gave a full account to an LAPD officer, who allegedly told her that the information would be forwarded to the FBI. Authorities also briefly questioned Thornton, but he was not arrested or charged.
Thornton’s lawyer has said that he “did nothing wrong” and left the chat when he realised what it was. Thornton has since been dismissed from his Wheel of Fortune role.
