FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A 34-year-old Royal Caribbean cruise employee is accused of hiding cameras inside bathrooms of passenger cabins to spy on guests.
Arvin Joseph Mirasol was arrested Sunday on federal charges of production and possession of child pornography after the Symphony of the Seas arrived in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in the U.S. District Court of Florida. He also faces six counts of voyeurism in state court.
A guest staying in a cabin where Mirasol was an attendant found a camera in the bathroom Feb. 25. It was “affixed to the counter underneath the sink," according to the affidavit. She reported the incident to ship officials, who sent security to the room to investigate.
Mirasol, who is a citizen of the Philippines, was detained on the ship until March 3, when it docked in Fort Lauderdale. He was questioned by agents from Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection and the Broward Sheriff's Office.
Agents discovered “numerous videos of naked females” as well as images of child sexual abuse while looking at his phone, an SD card and USB stick, the affidavit said. One of the videos showed Mirasol installing a camera in a guest cabin's bathroom.
In one five minute video, a 10-year-old girl entered the bathroom, removed her clothes and got into the shower, the affidavit said.
Mirasol told investigators he had been placing cameras in bathrooms since he began working on the ship in December.
“I want to control it, but I can’t,” he told investigators, according to the affidavit. He admitted he knew it was illegal to film underage girls. Agents asked him how he chose where to put the cameras. “If I like who is in that room, I place it,” he told them.
In addition to the hidden cameras, Mirasol told agents he went into rooms while guests were taking showers and hid under the bed. He would then record them getting dressed, according to the affidavit.
Royal Caribbean said in a statement that the company has fired Mirasol and is cooperating with the investigation.
“We have zero tolerance for this unacceptable behavior,” the statement said.
Mirasol is represented by Robert Berube of the federal public defender's office, who said in an email that he would not comment on the case. Mirasol remained in the Broward County Jail on Wednesday.
