Two passengers were arrested at PortMiami on Sunday after allegedly sexually assaulting a 14-year-old boy aboard a Royal Caribbean cruise ship.
The suspects, identified as Ricardo Daniel Mondragón Leal, 37, and José Juan Prudencio Díaz, 36, both Mexican nationals, face multiple felony charges, including lewd and lascivious molestation of a minor and sexual battery on a child, said Miami-Dade police.
The alleged assault occurred Thursday inside the sauna onboard Royal Caribbean’s Independence of the Seas while the cruise ship was at sea, an arrest report states.
Investigators say Prudencio Díaz exposed himself and masturbated in front of the teen before forcing the victim to touch him. Meanwhile, Mondragón Leal allegedly performed oral sex on the boy and forced the minor to do the same to him, the report details.
In a disturbing twist, Prudencio Díaz faces an additional charge for failing to disclose his HIV-positive status before engaging in sexual activity with the victim, according to court records.
Both suspects remain behind bars without bond—Prudencio Díaz at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center and Mondragón Leal at the Metrowest Detention Center. Immigration detainers have also been placed on them, meaning federal authorities could pursue deportation proceedings.
