Cruise ship employee accused of hiding cameras in bathrooms to spy on guests

A former employee of the cruise ship company Royal Caribbean was accused of planting cameras in guests’ bathrooms and hiding in their bedrooms, recording them taking off their clothes, with one of his reported targets as young as 10 years old used to be.

Arvin Joseph Mirasol, 34, was arrested Sunday on federal charges of production and possession of child pornography, according to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in South Florida. He is also accused of it six cases of voyeurism in the State Circuit Court in Broward County, Florida.

Royal Caribbean said it had reported the allegations to law enforcement and fired Mr. Mirasol, and that it would continue to cooperate with authorities. It is not clear how the actions that led to the charges came to light.

“We have a zero-tolerance policy for this unacceptable behavior,” the company said in a statement.

The cruise line alerted federal and state law enforcement agencies on Feb. 26, while the ship was still sailing in international waters. On Sunday, as it docked in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, law enforcement officers searched its devices, including a cellphone, camera, Apple Watch and a flash drive.

A video from the flash drive shows Mr. Mirasol installing the camera and pointing it at the shower, according to the complaint. One of the videos also showed a girl about ten years old in the shower.

Mr Mirasol worked as a cabin attendant, cleaning cabins and replenishing towels, and he admitted to investigators that he had hidden cameras and secretly filmed people since he began working on the Symphony of the Seas ship in December 2023 work, according to the complaint.

He admitted to recording a video camera in guests’ bathrooms and later retrieving it, saying he couldn’t control his impulses. Two public defenders listed as representing Mr. Mirasol did not immediately return requests for comment Tuesday.

He placed the camera in rooms where young girls were often present, around 16 years old, he told investigators. When asked how he selected his targets, he replied, “If I like who is in that room, I place them,” the complaint said.

Mr. Mirasol also said that while guests were showering, he entered their rooms, hid under the beds and recorded them on his cell phone as they were getting changed, according to the complaint.

A similar episode occurred on the Royal Caribbean ship, the Harmony of the Seas. In April 2023, FBI agents said a man was accused of hiding a Wi-Fi camera in an upper deck bathroom with the lens pointed at the toilet. The bathroom was close to one of the ship’s surfing simulators and many passengers used it to change into their swimsuits.