The hidden camera was discovered by a passenger on May 1, the third day of the Royal Caribbean Harmony of the Seas’ weeklong Caribbean cruise. — Photo by Christian Lambert on Unsplash
A passenger aboard a cruise ship out of Miami has been charged with placing a camera in a bathroom, recording images of dozens of people undressing, the FBI said.
Young children were among those in the several hours of video, the agency said.
The hidden camera was discovered by a passenger on May 1, the third day of the Royal Caribbean Harmony of the Seas’ weeklong Caribbean cruise. It was in an all-gender restroom – one toilet, no stall – that was adjacent to a surf simulator and was frequently used by people changing in and out of their swimsuits.
The first images in the camera’s memory were reportedly of the man who placed it above the door, adjusting its angle to focus near the toilet. It then recorded more than 150 people who used the restroom, the FBI’s press release said.
The ship’s security personnel confronted the passenger they believed had placed the camera, a 40-year-old Florida man. He allegedly admitted he had done it.
He was arrested when the Harmony reached Puerto Rico on May 3 and has been charged with video voyeurism and attempted possession of child exploitation material, the FBI said.
At a hearing Monday, May 8, the suspect was released to his wife as a third-party custodian and ordered to post a US$25,000 bond with conditions including that he is not to have unsupervised contact with minors, including his children, and is not to have Internet access, CNN reported.
The agency has asked any passengers on the cruise who used that bathroom on April 30 or May 1 to provide information on an online form. – Silicon Valley, San Jose, Calif./Tribune News Service
