A youth counselor aboard the Celebrity Silhouette cruise ship has admitted to sexually abusing several children, the FBI has reported. Cris John Pentinio Castor, 35, has been charged with abusive sexual contact with a minor, following allegations that surfaced when a six-year-old girl came forward with disturbing details of her encounter with the counselor. According to an FBI affidavit obtained by Miami New Times, Castor confessed he knowingly molested the young victim as well as at least three other children on board.
The incident took place late in November while the ship, which carried more than 3,000 passengers and 1,200 crew members, was in sail. After her parents picked her up from the ship's Camp at Sea youth center, the child disclosed Castor's actions, prompting them to return and report the assault. Castor, a Philippine national, admitted to the vile acts upon questioning and indicated he had hidden them from the youth center's security cameras.
Federal court records have cast a shadow on the cruise industry, with numerous cases of sexual assaults by crew members against passengers coming to light. Most notably, Royal Caribbean—which owns Celebrity Cruises—has been sued twice in the past seven months over alleged crew member sexual misconduct. In a statement to USA TODAY, Celebrity Cruises responded stating, "We have zero tolerance for this behavior,"
Castor's public defender, Robert Berube, declined to comment on the case. Meanwhile, Miami attorney Mark Schweikert, in an interview with Miami New Times, emphasized the profound challenge faced by victims of such abuses in seeking justice and overcoming skepticism. "Victims in general face a lot of skepticism. There tends to be a lot of rush to judgment, to disbelief, while crediting the abuser. That's something we tried to change and are still trying to change," Schweikert, who has prior experience securing verdicts in favor of abuse victims noted.
Last year, the Department of Transportation recorded 87 allegations of sexual assault on cruise ships.
