United States maritime jurisdiction has allowed for the arrest of a cruise ship assistant director for sexual encounters with a 16 year-old female passenger, including saving sexually explicit photographs of the minor on his computer, as reported by the Miami Herald.
Federal agents made the arrest of Norwegian Star employee, S.D., 29, a citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The federal criminal complaint states that S.D. stands accused of possession of child pornography.
On February 27, one day after a fellow crewmember alerted security that S.D. had shared photos of the teenager to members of the ship, FBI investigations began.
According to an affidavit from the FBI, the two met during a five-day cruise from Tampa to Mexico, departing on January 29 and returning on February 5. The minor, not named due to her age, was traveling with her parents from their home in Minnesota.
On February 28 S.D. signed a statement for the ship’s internal security team – admitting that he had sexual contact with the girl, after the ship docked in Costa Maya, Mexico. During the time in port, S.D. allegedly engaged the girl in sexual activities on an onboard staircase.
The affidavit continued to state that after the cruise ended on February 5, the two had e-mail contact – several times during the month of February.
One e-mail from S.D. to the girl read, per the affidavit, “I wish you said yes way earlier than the last day because we would have way more fun. I miss you big time … you little young girl.”
Several photos, approximately 20, were sent from Minnesota to S.D. at sea. In some the young girl was dressed, while in others, she chose to pose nude.
S.D. also sent graphic photos of himself to the victim. In a videotaped recording he sent S.D. appears to be masturbating in front of one of her photos.
When the FBI interviewed the victim she admitted to the sexual encounter and for sending photos to S.D. of herself. The victim also introduced S.D. to her parents at the start of the cruise. The affidavit stated that the victim’s father told S.D. that his daughter was 16 years old.
The FBI, upon interviewing S.D. when his cruise ship arrived in the Port of Tampa, gained his admission to interactions with the victim and his consent to search his computer.
Investigators found videos of minors engaged in sexual activity, which had allegedly been downloaded from the internet, on S.D.’s hard drive.
S.D. has been employed with Norwegian cruise lines since 2006. Officials from the company issued a brief statement that said they have zero-tolerance in its policies “for crew and guest fraternization and will continue to fully cooperate with federal authorities.”
S.D. has no criminal record in Florida.
If you are facing criminal charges, contact a criminal defense attorney to best represent you. Your attorney’s experience will be important in mounting your defense.
