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A male crew member was detained on May 23, 2023, for allegedly sexually assaulting a female passenger during a seven-day Alaskan voyage.
The individual [redacted] was employed as a cabin attendant on the ship. During the lawsuit, he was also accused of making a false statement. In Anchorage, Alaska, he was detained and tried for “abusive sexual contact” following an investigation prompted by the victim’s report.
To investigate the incident, USCG and FBI agents boarded the ship in Seward, Alaska (at the conclusion of the voyage) on May 22.
According to the victim, on the day of departure (15 May), the crew member made her feel uneasy by unpacking her luggage after she said she was capable of doing so herself. Then he repeatedly pounded on her stateroom door and called her name. The following day, he followed her into her stateroom and shut the door, which is against NCL-Norwegian Cruise Line’s policy. Supposedly, he then remarked on her legs and offered to massage them before departing for a moment and returning with two flasks of massage oil.
According to court documents, the victim “did not know how to say no” and consented to his massaging her in the hope that he would “get it over with” and leave her alone. Then he instructed her to remove her skort (shorts with a skirt-like covering) in order to continue the massage. She threatened to report him if he continued to embrace and kiss her inappropriately. Eventually, he fled the room after she threatened to report him again.
On May 17th, the encounter was reported to the ship’s security. NCL provided CCTV footage depicting the man entering the cabin three times and spending a total of 20+ minutes inside with the door closed (alone with the victim). During the investigation on May 22nd, the crew member claimed to have only entered the cabin twice and denied closing the door. Even after viewing the surveillance footage and being informed that lying is a federal offense, he repeated both claims.
The incident occurred during the 7-day Alaska Cruise from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada to Seward/Anchorage, with stops in Ketchikan (May 17), Juneau (May 18), Skagway (May 19), Glacier Bay National Park (May 20), and Hubbard Glacier (May 21).