A stateroom attendant aboard the Symphony of the Seas operated by Royal Caribbean has been sentenced to 30 years in prison by a federal judge after being found guilty of producing child pornography.
The convicted individual, Arvin Joseph Mirasol, 34, hails from the Philippines and received his sentence in a Miami federal court yesterday.
In late February, during a cruise departing from Fort Lauderdale, a family member uncovered a small hidden spy camera—about the size of a quarter—in the bathroom of their cabin. This covert device was strategically placed just below the sink and was aimed at capturing footage of guests using the toilet. The alert guest promptly reported the discovery to guest services, prompting security personnel to respond. While these security officials were in the cabin, Mirasol entered and confessed ownership of the camera. The guests were judicious enough to document the camera’s location and Mirasol’s admission while he was present.
Upon the cruise ship’s arrival at Port Everglades on March 3rd, agents from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) examined Mirasol’s electronic devices, revealing “numerous videos of children in various stages of undress,” as reported by Local News 7.
Federal agents discovered “numerous videos of naked females” and images depicting child sexual exploitation while investigating Mirasol’s phone, an SD card, and a USB stick. One video captured Mirasol setting up a camera in a guest’s bathroom.
Mirasol began his employment with Royal Caribbean as a cabin attendant in December 2023. Investigations revealed that he had been ‘secretly recording passengers, including children as young as 2 years old’ since starting his job three months prior.
Federal investigators reported that Mirasol would enter guest rooms “while they were showering and hide under their beds to capture footage of them exiting the shower.”
In addition to the federal charges of child pornography production, Mirasol faced six counts of video voyeurism in state court after being interviewed by the Broward Sheriff’s Office.
The issue of child pornography and the use of spy cameras on cruise ships has escalated over the past year. This case marks just one of at least sixteen incidents in a six-month timeframe where crew members associated with cruise lines have faced charges related to child pornography.
To date, crew members from five different cruise companies have been arrested on such charges: six or seven from Carnival; four from Royal Caribbean; three from Disney; one from Celebrity; and one from Holland America Line.
There are at least two documented cases involving the placement of spy cameras on cruise ships that filmed unsuspecting guests. One incident pertains to the Carnival Fantasy:
Another recent incident took place aboard Royal Caribbean’s Harmony of the Seas just last May:
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Image credits: Symphony of the Seas – Darthvadrouw – CC BY-SA 4.0 commons / wikimedia; Arvin Joseph Mirasol – Broward County Sheriff’s Office via News 7; headline text – News 7.
*The identity of one crew member, Ferry Maryanto, who was arrested in June on child pornography charges, has not been disclosed. He might have been employed by Carnival Cruise Line and worked on either the Carnival Horizon or the Carnival Magic. His arrest occurred at the port of Miami on a day when two Carnival cruise ships and vessels from Virgin Voyages and Norwegian Cruise Line were docked.
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