Man accused of installing hidden camera in public bathroom on Royal Caribbean cruise ship
By Rebekah Riess, CNN
The FBI’s San Juan Division is working to identify potential victims after a man was charged with video voyeurism and attempted possession of child exploitation material for allegedly installing a hidden camera in a public bathroom on a Royal Caribbean ship.
The camera was allegedly installed on the cruise line’s Harmony of the Seas ship during a seven-day cruise departing from Miami, Florida, in late April, according to the criminal complaint in the case.
The man, identified as Jeremy Froias, boarded the Harmony of the Seas in Miami, and while the cruise ship was navigating in international waters, allegedly installed a hidden Wi-Fi camera in a public bathroom on the ship’s top deck between a surfing simulator and a bar, the criminal complaint said.
Several days later, another passenger noticed the hidden camera and reported it to Harmony’s crew. Security personnel searched the bathroom and found and seized the hidden camera. According to the criminal complaint, security personnel found a Micro SD card with several hours’ worth of video files inside.
The FBI has posted a form online seeking potential victim information. “If you and/or your minor dependent(s) were victimized by Jeremy Froias or have information relevant to this investigation, please fill out this short form,” the posting says, noting that the timeframe it is focusing on is between April 30 and May 1, 2023.
The initial videos on the camera allegedly depict Froias hiding the camera and adjusting the angle to focus on the toilet, then connecting the camera to his the phone using Wi-Fi, before leaving the bathroom.
Additional videos reviewed by investigators showed more than 150 individuals, including what appeared to be at least 40 minors, coming into the bathroom to either use the toilet or change into or out of swimsuits, the complaint said.
According to the criminal complaint, Froias allegedly “admitted to placing the hidden camera in the bathroom” and told the ship’s security personnel that he knew the camera had been found and taken because he couldn’t find it when he went to check on it on May 1.
At his bond hearing Monday, Froias was released to his wife as a third-party custodian and ordered to post a $25,000 unsecured bond with the conditions that he is not to have unsupervised contact with any minors, including his children, is not to have internet access, and is to surrender his passport, among other things, court records show.
“Mr. Froias has not been formally indicted. Therefore, I have no comments at this time,” his attorney, Leo Aldridge, told CNN.
Royal Caribbean said in a statement that it was aware of the incident on the ship’s April 29 cruise.
“The matter was immediately reported to local and federal law enforcement and the guest involved was removed from the ship by authorities for further investigation. As this is an active case, we are unable to share any more details at this time,” the cruise line said.
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