Paris Hilton’s younger brother agreed today to plead guilty to a federal misdemeanor charge involving a disruption he caused aboard an international flight last summer.
Conrad Hilton, 21, will enter a plea — at a date to be determined — to “simple assault,” an offense that carries a penalty of up to six months in jail, a year of supervised release and a $5,000 fine, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Hilton is scheduled to be arraigned in Los Angeles on the charge Thursday, but he will not actually be entering his guilty plea at that time.
He was charged last month with interfering with the crew on a British Airways flight from London to Los Angeles on July 31. That charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
An enraged Hilton was restrained and handcuffed by flight attendants after an outburst in which he accused the flight crew of “taking the peasants’ side,” according to an FBI affidavit attached to the initial criminal complaint.
Hilton told the co-pilot, “If you wanna square up to me bro, then bring it on and I will … fight you,” according to the affidavit.
During the nearly 11-hour flight, witnesses heard Hilton mumbling to himself, then yelling obscenities and threatening crew members, according to the affidavit.
Hilton — grandson of famed hotel billionaire Conrad Hilton Sr. — began punching the bulkhead of the plane close to an attendant’s face, according to the affidavit. Additionally, witnesses said Hilton was apparently smoking marijuana in one of the plane’s bathrooms, the affidavit states.
When Hilton fell asleep, “the captain authorized crew members to restrain him to his seat for the descent and he was ultimately handcuffed to his seat,” according to the document.
Hilton’s lawyer Robert Shapiro told reporters that Hilton had suffered a bad reaction to a sleeping pill, which caused his behavior on the flight.
