MIAMI – On Dec. 13, a federal grand jury charged Filipino citizen Cris John Pentinio Castor, 35, by indictment, with two counts of abusive sexual contact with a minor in the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States.
According to allegations in the indictment and previously filed criminal complaint, and presented at prior hearings, in November 2023, Cris John Pentinio Castor engaged in abusive sexual contact with two six-year-old girls entrusted to the care of the Camp at Sea Youth Center on a Celebrity Silhouette cruise, owned by Royal Caribbean Group, that departed from Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Castor was working as a Camp at Sea youth counselor at the time of the sexual contact.
An arraignment hearing is scheduled in this matter for tomorrow, Dec. 15. If convicted of the charges contained in the federal indictment, Castor faces up to life in prison.
U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida and Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of the FBI, Miami Field Office, announced the charges.
FBI Miami investigated the case with assistance from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Royal Caribbean Group security. Assistant U.S. Attorney Audrey Pence Tomanelli is handling the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, PSC marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about the PSC initiative and for information regarding Internet safety, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Anyone with information regarding suspected child abuse (to include physical and sexual abuse) is encouraged to call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.
A criminal complaint and an indictment contain allegations. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 23-mj-06575 and 23-CR-60234.
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