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Published on March 24, 2025
Mexico City Men Charged with Sexual Crimes Against Teen on Miami-Bound Cruise ShipSource: Miami Dade Corrections & Rehabilitation

Two men from Mexico City are facing serious charges after being accused of sexually victimizing a 14-year-old boy on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship bound for Miami. Ricardo Daniel Mondragon Leal, 37, and Jose Juan Prudencio Diaz, 36, were arrested by the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office upon the ship's return to PortMiami, according to information from an arrest report, Local 10 News reported.

The alleged incident took place in the sauna of the Independence of the Seas, where, the victim reported that Prudencio Diaz exposed himself and masturbated in front of him, forcing the teen to touch him. Mondragon Leal is accused of not only the same act, but also forcing the boy to perform oral sex, as well as performing the act on the victim himself. Both men are now jailed without bond and, have immigration holds placed against them, with Mondragon Leal also facing a charge of child sexual battery and a lewd and lascivious exhibition on a child. Prudencio Diaz has an additional charge for not disclosing his HIV status before the alleged sex act, details Local 10 News.

The arrest reports were made public and revealed further disturbing details of the case. "During their court hearings on Saturday, both men were denied bond," as per an article from NBC Miami. The source specifies how the teen came into contact with the accused men while he was utilizing the sauna room onboard the cruise ship.

According to the statement made to the authorities, the victim was subjected to seeing both suspects perform sexual acts upon themselves, and then to non-consensual touching by both men, as detailed by NBC Miami. The report indicates that at one point, the presumed innocence of a shared space was shattered as Diaz and Leal began to touch the victim and pushed him to touch them, before escalating to yet more grievous acts.

The Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office, acting upon the allegations, apprehended Diaz and Mondragon Leal promptly after the ship returned to port. Both men remain in custody as the case proceeds.

Miami-Crime & Emergencies