A Disney Cruise Line worker, Tirso Neri, was arrested on child porn charges after US Border Control and Homeland Security agents discovered sexually explicit images and videos on his phone, including of girls as young as 9. Neri, from the Philippines, was charged with transportation of child pornography and possession of child pornography following a search of his two phones on the Disney Dream ship. The agents boarded the ship when it arrived at the Florida port from the Bahamas and conducted a search of Neri’s cabin, where they found numerous sexually explicit photographs and videos of young children.
Further investigation revealed that Neri had a folder with sexually explicit photos and videos of a 17-year-old girl, along with her Philippine passport that confirmed her age. Neri admitted to downloading adult pornography and buying links with explicit content from group chats on Telegram and Facebook Messenger. He claimed to have received the folder with the images of the 17-year-old girl from one of the group chats and saved it to his phone without looking at the content. However, a forensic review of his phone showed that the images were not only saved but also viewed by Neri.
Additional videos discovered on Neri’s phone included footage of a boy between 10 and 12 engaging in sex with a girl between 12 and 14, as well as a video of a young girl naked with an adult man with disturbing text in Filipino written across the screen. Neri is currently being held at Broward Main Jail. Two other Disney Cruise Line employees, Alvin Gonzales and Amiel Trazo, were also arrested and charged with felony possession of child pornography in January. Both men, like Neri, are from the Philippines and worked on the Disney Dream ship. Disney Cruise Line confirmed that Neri is no longer an employee and stated that they have a zero-tolerance policy for such behavior.
The arrests of three Disney Cruise Line employees on child pornography charges in the same year have raised concerns about the safety of children on cruise ships and the screening process for employees. The incidents involving the crew members from the Philippines have also drawn attention to the need for better background checks and monitoring of employees on cruise ships. Authorities are urging anyone with information related to these cases or other incidents of child exploitation to come forward and report it immediately.
Child pornography is a serious crime that can have lasting effects on the victims involved. The exploitation of children for sexual purposes is a heinous act that must be fully investigated and prosecuted. Companies like Disney Cruise Line must take responsibility for ensuring the safety and well-being of their employees and passengers. This case serves as a reminder of the importance of vigilance and proactive measures to prevent child pornography and other forms of exploitation.
