A former Carnival crew member pleaded guilty to Possession of Materials Involving the Sexual Exploitation of Minors in a federal district court last week.
Reza Heta Pratama, 28, of the Republic of Indonesia, was arrested last July after being found in possession of child pornography at the Erato Street Cruise Terminal in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Law enforcement officials found what appeared to be child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on Pratama's phone and laptop, according to an arrest affidavit signed by Homeland Security Investigations special agent Jessica Zuppardo.
Pratama had just been fired from Carnival Cruise Line because of sexual harassment complaints from coworkers. He had been working aboard Carnival Valor, a Conquest Class ship sailing to the Western Caribbean from New Orleans.
Because of his termination, age, and nationality, he was brought to the secondary inspection area of Passport Control, where a border search and baggage inspection were conducted.
CBP officials also performed a basic social media search of Pratama's electronic devices and found content that appeared to be CSAM.
Pratama told law enforcement that he received the CSAM from groups on Telegram and admitted to having it in his photo gallery.
He signed a consent form for officials to search his Telegram account, which is when a nearly two-minute-long file was found that showed a minor female wearing an oversized t-shirt exposing her genitals on a bed.
A public filing by the prosecution revealed that, in total, his devices had 116 videos and 54 images depicting the sexual exploration of minors.
Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that Pratama had pled guilty and was in violation of Title 18 of the United States Code, Sections 2252(a)(4)(B) and (b)(2).
Days before Pratama's arrest, law enforcement found CSAM on another Carnival employee's phone
Child pornography was found on Abdhul Rouvoof Shaik’s, 30, WhatsApp when he disembarked from the Carnival Liberty in New Orleans on July 14, 2024 — just 4 days before Pratama was arrested on similar charges.
Shaik, a Republic of India national, claimed "his 'friend' put him in a 'group' that involve[d] children having sex," according to an affidavit signed by HSI special agent Brian Villaflor.
During the arrest, Shaik waived his Miranda rights against self-incrimination, admitting that he knew the video included children and that child pornography was illegal.
Pratama will be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Darrel James Papillion on September 9, 2025
He faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years, a fine up to $250,000.00, a period of supervised release of up to life, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.00.
According to the St. Charles Parish Sheriff's Office, Pratama is being held in custody at the Nelson Coleman Correctional Center in Killona, Louisiana, as of May 28, 2025.
Elizabeth Wright
Elizabeth graduated from New York University's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute with her M.A. in Journalism in May 2023. Growing up, she traveled frequently with her family and fell in love with cruising after sailing on the Oasis of the Seas during her freshman year of high school. Having sailed on over 30 cruises across different lines, including Royal Caribbean, Carnival, MSC, Margaritaville at Sea, and Princess, she loves sharing her insight and expertise on all things cruising!
