A Disney Cruise Line worker, identified as a 44-year-old crew member from the Philippines, was arrested on child pornography charges. This marks the third crew member at the cruise company to face allegations of child pornography this year. The crew member, Tirso Neri, was working on the Disney Dream ship at the time of his arrest.
The arrest was made by U.S. Border Control and Homeland Security agents after they discovered sexually explicit images and videos of children as young as 9 years old on Neri's phone. The investigation into Neri began on December 18 when agents boarded the Disney Dream ship at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and searched Neri's cabin. They confiscated two phones belonging to Neri, which contained numerous sexually explicit photographs and videos of young children.
Further investigation revealed that Neri had a folder on one of his devices containing explicit photos and videos of a 17-year-old girl. Neri claimed that he downloaded adult pornography and purchased links to explicit content from group chats on Telegram and Facebook Messenger. However, a forensic review of his phone confirmed that the images were saved and viewed by Neri.
Neri was charged with possession of child pornography and transportation of child pornography. He is currently being held at Broward Main Jail. A spokesperson for Disney Cruise Line stated that Neri is no longer employed by the company, citing a zero-tolerance policy for such behavior.
Notably, two other Disney Cruise Line employees, Alvin Gonzales and Amiel Trazo, both from the Philippines, were arrested in January on felony possession of child pornography charges. Gonzales and Trazo, who also worked aboard the Disney Dream, are facing similar allegations.
