Two Mexican Nationals Arrested for Assaulting Teen on Royal Caribbean Cruise
Miami, FL – According to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, two Mexican nationals, Ricardo Daniel Mondragon Leal, 37, and Jose Juan Prudencio Diaz, 36, were arrested in Miami on Friday, March 21, 2025, after allegedly sexually assaulting a 14 year old boy aboard Royal Caribbean’s Independence of the Seas. The assault occurred in the ship’s sauna during a 4-night Caribbean cruise that departed Miami on March 17, visiting Nassau and Perfect Day at CocoCay.
The victim, a U.S. minor traveling with family, was alone when the suspects attacked him. Authorities report that Diaz exposed himself and forced the boy to touch him, while Mondragon Leal coerced the teen into performing oral sex and also assaulted him. The boy’s family alerted ship security after he disclosed the incident, leading to the suspects’ arrest upon docking. Both men face charges of lewd and lascivious molestation of a child and sexual battery of a minor, with Diaz additionally charged for failing to disclose his HIV-positive status during the assault.
Royal Caribbean is cooperating with the investigation, and the suspects are set for trial in Miami-Dade County Court, with potential deportation proceedings to follow. Both are being held without bond and on immigration holds, according to jail records. Nothing further at this time.
