A family vacation out of New Orleans turned into a federal sex crime case, as a New Orleans man pleaded guilty Tuesday to charges that he sexually abused a 15-year-old girl aboard a cruise ship that left the city in November 2023. Prosecutors say 43-year-old Kendrick White Sr. admitted forcing the teen into sexual acts while the vessel was in international waters. The plea was entered before U.S. District Judge Darrel James Papillion.
According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Louisiana, White pleaded guilty to sexual abuse in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2242(3). The office says White and three relatives, two of them minors, were passengers on a commercial cruise that left New Orleans on November 18, 2023, and returned on November 22.
As reported by WDSU, court filings allege that while the ship was in international waters on or about Nov. 22, 2023, White brought the teen to a cabin, told her a minor relative wanted to see her, and then instructed the girl and the minor relative to engage in sexual intercourse. When she refused, prosecutors say White groped the victim, pushed her into the cabin and forced sexual acts. The filings also state that he offered to pay her to take his relative's virginity.
Charges and penalties
The U.S. Attorney's Office says White faces a maximum of 15 years in prison for the offense to which he pleaded guilty, along with a lifetime term of supervised release, a possible fine of up to $250,000 and mandatory special assessment fees. He may also be required to register as a sex offender, prosecutors said in the release.
Investigation and context
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, the federal initiative to combat child sexual exploitation, according to the FBI. The defendant was first indicted in September 2025, and earlier coverage of that indictment appears in earlier coverage of the indictment, where Assistant U.S. Attorney Jordan Ginsberg is listed as the prosecutor handling the matter.
