Filipino national sentenced to 30 years for planting hidden cameras in cruise ship cabins, recording children as young as 2

A Florida judge sentenced a Filipino national to 30 years in federal prison for recording child porn by planting multiple hidden cameras in guest rooms on a major cruise ship, according to authorities. Some of the victims who were secretly recorded were reportedly children as young as 2 years old.

Arvin Joseph Mirasol — a 34-year-old citizen of the Philippines — had worked as a stateroom attendant aboard Royal Caribbean Cruise Line's Symphony of the Seas, a cruise ship that can accommodate a maximum capacity of 6,680 guests.

'I want to control it, but I can't.'

A cruise ship passenger reached under the sink to get a roll of toilet paper and discovered a hidden camera attached to the counter under the sink in the guest's bathroom. The guest notified the cruise ship's security regarding the hidden camera on Feb. 25.

Cruise ship security detained Mirasol until the Symphony of the Seas cruise ship docked at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale on March 3. Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection officials boarded the ship and launched an investigation. Law enforcement seized Mirasol’s electronics, including his cell phone and a USB stick.

Investigators discovered that Mirasol’s electronics "contained numerous videos of children in various stages of undress," according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida. The press release added, "The focus of the videos was on the children’s genital areas."

Homeland Security Investigations agents were able to identify the children seen in the videos. The children ranged in age from 2 to 17.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida stated that one of the videos on the recording devices showed Mirasol installing a camera in a guest's bathroom.

Investigators noted that Mirasol had been placing cameras in passenger cabins since December 2023.

According to prosecutors, Mirasol would also enter the guests' rooms while they were showering, hide under their beds, and secretly record them exiting the shower with his cell phone.

"I want to control it, but I can't," Mirasol told investigators while being questioned, according to the affidavit.

When asked how he decides which rooms to place cameras in, Mirasol allegedly told investigators, "If I like who is in that room, I place it." He informed investigators that he would target teenage girls ages 16 and over, the affidavit read.

Mirasol was arrested in March by Broward County deputies. Mirasol pleaded guilty to producing child pornography.

On Wednesday, Mirasol was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison by U.S. District Court Judge Melissa Damian.

Royal Caribbean said in a statement released in March, "We have zero tolerance for this unacceptable behavior. We immediately reported this to law enforcement and terminated the crew member, and we will continue to fully cooperate with authorities."

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Broward County Sheriff's Office