Why a cruise ship employee has to go to prison for 30 years

A man from the Philippines who worked for the cruise line Royal Caribbean has been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to producing child pornography.

Arvin Joseph Mirasol was sentenced on Wednesday after Arrested earlier this year.

The U.S. Department of Justice said that a guest aboard the Royal Caribbean Group-owned cruise ship Symphony of the Seas discovered a hidden camera mounted on the counter under the sink in the guest bathroom on February 25. The guest reported the camera to ship security.

Mirasol, a cabin stewardess responsible for maintaining passenger cabins, was detained until the cruise ship docked at Everglades Port in Fort Lauderdale, prosecutors said.

When the ship docked on March 3, according to the U.S. Department of Justice, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and Customs and Border Protection agents boarded to investigate. Mirasol's electronics were seized and searched.

Prosecutors said law enforcement discovered numerous videos of children in various stages of undressing on Mirasol's electronic devices.

“One video showed Mirasol himself installing a camera in a guest's bathroom,” the Justice Department said. “HSI agents were able to identify the children depicted in the videos, ranging in age from 2 to 17 years old.”

The Justice Department said Mirasol has installed cameras in passenger cabins since December 2023.

“Mirasol entered guests' rooms while they were showering and hid under their beds so he could secretly film them as they exited the shower,” the Justice Department said.

Anyone with information regarding suspected crimes on cruise ships, including sexual abuse and child pornography, is asked to call the HSI Hotline at 1-866-347-2423.

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