A Disney Cruise Line worker named Tirso Neri, from the Philippines, was arrested on child pornography charges after sexually explicit images and videos of girls as young as 9 were found on his phone. Federal agents boarded the Disney Dream ship at the Fort Lauderdale-Port Everglades port in Florida and searched Neri’s cabin, confiscating two phones with numerous sexually explicit images and videos of undetermined age. A folder containing sexual and nude photos and videos of a 17-year-old girl was also discovered, along with evidence that Neri had viewed the images.
During an interview with officers, Neri revealed that he downloaded adult pornography and purchased explicit content from various group chats on Telegram and Facebook Messenger. He claimed to have received the folder with the images and videos of the 17-year-old girl from one of these group chats and saved it to his phone without initially examining its contents. However, a forensic review of his phone showed that he had not only saved the images but also viewed them. Additionally, other videos found on Neri’s phone depicted underage individuals engaged in sexual acts.
Neri is currently being held at Broward Main Jail, following the arrests of two other Disney Cruise Line employees, Alvin Gonzales and Amiel Trazo, who were charged with felony possession of child pornography in January. Both men, also from the Philippines, worked on the Disney Dream ship. The Disney Cruise Line has not issued an immediate comment on the situation but stated that Neri is no longer employed by the company due to their zero-tolerance policy for such behavior. These three incidents within the same year raise concerns about the safety and security of passengers aboard Disney Cruise Line ships and highlight the importance of screening employees thoroughly before hiring them.
The discovery of child pornography on the phones of multiple Disney Cruise Line employees raises serious questions about the company’s hiring and monitoring practices. As a family-friendly cruise company catering to children, the safety of minors on board should be a top priority. The fact that three employees were found to be in possession of child pornography within a short period is alarming and suggests a potential lack of oversight or background checks in place. It is imperative for Disney Cruise Line to review and strengthen their hiring procedures to prevent such incidents from occurring in the future.
The sexual exploitation of minors is a heinous crime that must be dealt with swiftly and decisively. The discovery of child pornography on the devices of Disney Cruise Line workers is a disturbing trend that needs to be addressed with utmost seriousness. The passengers and families who choose to travel with Disney Cruise Line should feel confident that their safety and well-being are being protected at all times. The company must take proactive measures to ensure that such incidents do not happen again and that all crew members undergo thorough screening and monitoring to prevent any potential harm to children on board the ships.
