The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Miami announced today that it is charging a Carnival Cruise crewmember with sexually abusing a 14 year old passenger aboard the Liberty cruise ship.
According to the criminal complaint filed against the cruise ship employee, Carnival crewmember Kert Clyde Jordan, age 35 of Grenada, engaged in unlawful sexual abuse of a 14-year old girl while she was cruising on a vacation with her family on the Carnival Liberty. Under the United States Code which applies to maritime crimes on the high seas involving U.S. citizens, foreign crewmembers can be charged with "sexual abuse." There is no federal crime involving rape on the high seas against minors.
Carnival employed crewmember Jordan as a waiter on the Liberty. The incidents in question occurred in a bathroom on the lido deck of the cruise ship.
The young girl reported the crime to her family after returning home.
A pre-trial detention hearing is set for December 1st in the U.S. District Court for the South District of Florida here in Miami.
We have reported on many crimes involving young girls on cruise ships before. Unfortunately, cruise lines like Carnival do not warn parents of crimes like this although they are frequent. Just a few days ago we reported on "Serial Rapist" Sentenced to 10 Years for Rape of 13 Year Old During Carnival Cruise.
You can read about cases where child predators abuse children in cases on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship like this or where a Carnival crew member rapes a 14 year old girl like this.
Even supposedly kid friendly cruise lines like Disney Cruises have a history of sexual assaults against young girls on their cruise ships: Passenger Indicted for Sexual Abuse of 13 Year Old Girl on Disney Wonder Cruise Ship.
We have represented several rape victims before our U.S. Congress and have sued cruise lines on behalf of sexual assault victims on cruise ships and have recovered compensation from $100,000 to over $3,000,000 for our clients.
December 10, 2011 Update: Update on Alleged Sexual Assault of Child Aboard the Carnival Liberty Cruise Ship
Photo credit: Carnival Elation cruise ship – Montego Bay Jamaica – Jim Walker