[Warning: Potentially Triggering Content]
Two men are accused of forcing a 14-year-old boy to perform sex acts with them on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship earlier this month.
According to arrest affidavits from Miami-Dade County obtained by People on Tuesday, 37-year-old Ricardo Leal (pictured, left) and 36-year-old Jose Diaz (right) were arrested in Miami after the Royal Caribbean’s Independence of the Seas ship (not pictured) docked in the south Florida city on Friday.
Now they have both been charged with lewd and lascivious behavior with a minor as well as molesting a minor in connection with an incident that cops say took place the day before their arrests. And not only that, one of the men was further charged with sexual battery — while the other one is facing an additional charge for not revealing his HIV positive status during the alleged sex act.
Yes, you read that last sentence right: not only are these two men accused of sexually assaulting the underage boy, but one of them is HIV positive, according to the arrest affidavit. Per People, the affidavit does not make clear which man is HIV positive, and it is thus unknown which one is facing that disturbing additional charge.
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Per the police report, the victim told cops that he found himself alone in the sauna on the ship last Thursday with two “strangers” later identified as Leal and Diaz.
At one point, the teenager claimed both men “began to [perform a sex act] in front of him,” only to then allegedly perform the same act on the victim himself without consent. Then, the men “forced [the victim’s] hand to perform it on them,” too, the affidavit claims.
WTF…
Once the men were taken into custody after the cruise ship docked in Miami, the one with HIV invoked his right to speak to an attorney. The other man denied the victim’s claims by saying that the “sexual acts were consensual,” per the affidavit.
Uhhh… considering the alleged victim’s age, consent isn’t actually possible sooo… not a great defense.
In the meantime, both men had their first hearings before a judge over the weekend. There, they were each denied bond. Per People, both men are Mexican nationals — and are being detained on immigration holds this week.
What an absolutely despicable act…
If you have sincere cause to suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org.
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence and would like to learn more about resources, consider checking out https://www.rainn.org/resources.
[Image via WENN.]
