A Florida judge has sentenced a Filipino man to 30 years in federal prison for installing multiple hidden cameras in guest rooms on a major cruise ship and recording child pornography, authorities said, including of children as young as 2.
Irvin Joseph Mirasol, a 34-year-old Filipino national, worked as a steward on Royal Caribbean Cruise Line's Symphony of the Seas, a cruise ship with a maximum capacity of 10,000 people. 6,680 guest.
“I want to control it, but I can't.”
A cruise ship passenger discovered a hidden camera mounted on the counter under the sink in a guest bathroom when she reached under the sink to get toilet paper. The passenger reported the hidden camera to cruise ship security on February 25.
Cruise ship security held Mirasol until the Symphony of the Seas docked at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale on March 3. Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection agents boarded the ship and began an investigation. Police confiscated Mirasol's cell phone, USB sticks, and other electronic devices.
Investigators found Mirasol's electronic devices “contained numerous videos of children in various stages of undress.” News Release The news was released by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida, adding in a press release that “the focus of the videos was on the children's genital areas.”
Homeland Security investigators were able to identify the children seen in the video, who ranged in age from 2 to 17.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida said one of the videos captured on the recording device showed Mirasol setting up a camera in a guest's bathroom.
Investigators noted that Mirasol had been installing cameras in passenger cabins since December 2023.
Prosecutors said Mirasol would enter guests' rooms while they were showering, hide under the bed and secretly take pictures on his cell phone as they emerged from the shower.
“I want to control it, but I can't,” Mirasol told investigators during questioning. Affidavit.
When asked how he decides which rooms to place the cameras in, Mirasol said: Reportedly “If I like whoever's in the room, I'll arrange for that person,” the man told investigators. He told investigators he targeted girls over the age of 16, according to the affidavit.
Mirasol was arrested by Broward County sheriff's deputies in March and pleaded guilty to production of child pornography.
Mirasol was sentenced Wednesday to 30 years in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Melissa Damien.
In a statement released in March, Royal Caribbean said: “We have zero tolerance for this unacceptable behavior. We immediately notified police and terminated the crew member's life. We will continue to cooperate fully with authorities.”
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Broward County Sheriff's Office
