Indonesian national Reza Heta Pratama pleaded guilty on Tuesday to possessing child sexual abuse material, as stated in a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana. The 28-year-old former employee of Carnival Cruise Lines now faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
Documents revealed in court showed that Pratama was arrested in July 2024 by agents from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Homeland Security Investigations at the Erato Street Cruise Terminal in New Orleans. In addition to his substantial prison time, Pratama is looking at a fine of up to $250,000, supervised release which could extend to a lifetime, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.
The case is a part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to address the escalating problem of child exploitation. Aiding the efforts of the U.S. Attorney's Office were the U.S. Department of Homeland Security - Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, individuals interested can visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
The sentencing for Pratama is scheduled for September 9, and will be overseen by U.S. District Judge Darrel James Papillion. Handling the prosecution is Assistant U.S. Attorney Brittany Reed of the Violent Crimes Unit. The guilty plea was first reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana.
