(NEXSTAR) – A Delta passenger who is accused of slapping a flight attendant’s buttocks has been indicted on a federal charge in Georgia, according to court documents.

The alleged incident took place on a Delta Air Lines flight from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to Los Angeles on May 9. That flight was diverted to Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, where a passenger identified as Cody James Maluck was detained and later transported to the Atlanta City Detention Center, according to a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court, Northern District of Georgia.

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The flight attendant, identified as “P.L.L.” in the complaint, claims she was taking passengers’ beverage orders and skipped over Maluck, thinking he was asleep. But she alleges that a moment later, she felt a “slap to her buttocks area with sufficient force to cause her body to move forward,” she told an air marshal who responded to the incident.

“Immediately thereafter, she turned around and observed [Maluck] raising his hands and stating words to the effect of, ‘I didn’t do anything,’” the air marshal wrote in his affidavit.

Another flight attendant claimed to have heard P.L.L. “yell” after allegedly being struck, according to the complaint. This crew member also corroborated claims that P.L.L.’s body moved forward during the incident, and that the accused had raised his hands and said something along the lines of ‘I didn’t do it.’”

The affidavit indicates that Maluck admitted to touching P.L.L. on the “buttocks area,” but only to get her attention. He also claimed he did not slap her with force and did not mean to “harm or disrespect” her, per the documents.

Maluck has since been charged with interfering with flight crew members or flight attendants, a federal offense that carries the possibility of steep fines and civil penalties and as many as 20 years in jail.

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A representative for the Federal Aviation Administration was not immediately available to comment on the incident. But the agency frequently backs its “zero-tolerance” policy for unruly passengers, often referring cases to the FBI. (The air marshal who took statements from those involved had identified himself as a Task Force Officer with the FBI.)

When asked about the May 9 incident, a spokesperson for Delta shared the following statement:

“Delta has zero tolerance for disruptive or unruly behavior on our flights. We will always cooperate with law enforcement to address such conduct and protect our people.”

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