A US court sentenced an Indian man to nine years in prison for brazen sexual assault of a woman who was asleep on an overnight flight to Detroit.

Prabhu Ramamoorthy, a 35-year-old Indian Techie, went to the US on an H-1B visa in 2015. He was in the middle seat on a Spirit Airlines flight from Las Vegas, with his wife and a 23-year-old woman on either side. The victim said that the man had apparently unbuttoned her shirt, unzipped her pants, and molested her with his hands. Soon after that, she sought the help of the flight attendants.

Even though Ramamoorthy initially claimed that he hadn’t committed the sexual assault and was in “deep sleep,” he later admitted to his wrongdoings.

Prosecutors asked for a sentence of nearly 11 years, but US District Judge Terrence Berg settled on a 9-year-term. He will be deported back to India after serving his sentence.