A Disney Cruise Line employee was cuffed on federal child pornography charges in South Florida, marking the third such arrest within the company this year. Tirso Anthony Neri, 44, a crew member of the Disney Dream, has been charged with possession and transportation of child sexual abuse material, federal law enforcement officials announced.

Neri's arrest occurred after Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents, in collaboration with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, searched his cabin upon the Disney Dream's return from the Bahamas on December 18 and discovered illicit content on two smartphones; these findings led to a broader investigation, per court documents reported by Local 10. The seized material included disturbing images and videos featuring children, with some as young as 9 years old.

Authorities assert that Neri, held at the Broward Main Jail, admitted to acquiring adult pornography from several chat groups on Telegram and Facebook Messenger and also claimed that sometimes he saved material to his device without reviewing it, stating he would delete it later, as reported by an HSI special agent's affidavit.

Neri, who faces serious federal charges, is no longer employed by Disney Cruise Line, according to a company representative, who emphasized Disney's "zero-tolerance policy for this kind of alleged behavior," in a statement obtained by NBC Miami. Prior to Neri's case, fellow Phillippine nationals Alvin Gonzales, 49, and Amiel Trazo, 28, were both indicted on similar charges, drawing renewed scrutiny to the cruise line's staff amidst the family-friendly brand's latest controversy.