Two Carnival Cruise Line crew members arrested on child pornography charges
Two Carnival Cruise Line crew members were arrested on child pornography charges earlier this month.
Law enforcement found what appeared to be child sexual abuse material on Reza Heta Pratama’s phone and laptop during a July 18 search after he disembarked Carnival Valor in New Orleans, Louisiana. He was directed to leave the ship after being fired because of sexual harassment complaints from coworkers, according to an arrest affidavit signed by Homeland Security Investigations special agent Jessica Zuppardo.
Pratama, who is from Indonesia, told law enforcement that he got child pornography from groups on Telegram and acknowledged having it in his photo gallery.
Days earlier, law enforcement also found child sexual abuse material on Abdhul Rouvoof Shaik’s WhatsApp account when he disembarked Carnival Liberty at the port on July 14. Shaik, who is from India, said “his ‘friend’ put him in a ‘group’ that involves children having sex,” according to an affidavit signed by HSI special agent Brian Villaflor.
The friend is from Indonesia, according to the document, but was not named. Shaik said he used to send and receive videos in the group. “He would forward them to others and then delete it from his WhatsApp,” the affidavit said.
Law enforcement showed Shaik a sexually explicit video featuring a minor, which he said he forgot to delete. Shaik admitted to sending the video to another friend, according to the complaint, but said it was “by mistake.”
Pratama is charged with transportation and possession of child pornography, while Shaik is charged with transportation and distribution of child pornography. Attorneys listed for them did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
"These allegations are deeply disturbing and we have zero tolerance for criminal behavior," a Carnival spokesperson told USA TODAY in an emailed statement. "We fully cooperate with law enforcement on these matters and immediately terminated anyone involved."
The news comes after a Celebrity Cruises crew member was arrested on child pornography charges in late April, while three Disney Cruise Line employees were arrested on similar charges between January and April.
Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. You can reach him at ndiller@usatoday.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Carnival crew members arrested on child pornography charges