Two Carnival cruise passengers have been charged with the rape of a 25-year-old woman, as reported by Cruise Law News.
Sayjuan Readous, 26, and Antoine Flowers Jr., 28, of Michigan, allegedly swapped places during a sexual encounter on December 15, 2025, unbeknownst to the victim. The incident reportedly occurred aboard the Carnival Sunrise, one of the oldest ships in Carnival’s fleet.
According to Cruise Law News, the victim met Readous at one of the bars and consented to sexual activity with him after having a drink. After returning to the cabin, Readous allegedly left the victim alone in the dark stateroom.
That’s when Flowers Jr. climbed into bed with the woman and allegedly had sex with her. The victim later told investigators that she did not realize it was a different man until she turned on the lights and discovered she had been tricked by the men. She reportedly ran screaming from the cruise cabin, partially clothed.
Royal Bahamas Police Force officers boarded the Carnival Sunrise ship when it reached Nassau and arrested both men, The Daily Mail reported. At the time, the cruise ship was on a 5-night cruise that departed Florida on Dec. 13. Nassau was the second port of call after Princess Cays, with the cruise wrapping up with a final stop at Celebration Key.
Readous was charged with rape and aiding and abetting, while Flowers Jr. was charged with two counts of rape.
They appeared in court in December, with Magistrate Abigail Farrington denying them bail. The case is expected to proceed to the Supreme Court, and the stepbrothers were advised of their right to apply for bail through the higher court.
According to The Tribune, Readous and Flowers Jr. were remanded to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services and are scheduled to return to court on March 26, 2026.
A few weeks later, another sexual assault incident was reported on the same cruise ship
A teenager was arrested for reportedly raping a 16-year-old aboard the Carnival Sunrise on Dec. 29, Our News Bahamas reported.
Prosecutors say the victim was allegedly assaulted after going to the 17-year-old’s cabin shortly after they met. The victim’s parents, who were in the casino at the time, were notified of the incident around 8:00 p.m.
At the time, the Sunshine Class ship was on a 4-night Bahamas cruise. The vessel departed from Miami, Florida, on Dec. 27, with scheduled stops in Freeport and Nassau.
The suspect, whose name has not been released, was granted emergency bail on Friday, Jan. 2, by Justice Neil Brathwaite. He, however, was initially denied bail by Senior Magistrate Algernon Allen Jr., according to Eyewitness News.
Bail was set at $9,900 with one or two sureties. Justice Brathwaite also ordered that the juvenile's movements be monitored with an ankle bracelet.
Reports say that the suspect was not required to enter a plea. Additionally, the case has been adjourned to June 25, at which time he can apply for a voluntary bill of indictment.
Read more: 16-year-old sexually assaulted on the Carnival Sunrise cruise ship, reports say
About the Carnival Sunrise cruise ship
Carnival Sunrise entered service in 1999 as the Carnival Triumph. The infamous ship made headlines in 2013 after an electrical fire disabled the vessel and left thousands adrift in the Gulf of Mexico without power, air conditioning, or working toilets for days. The "poop cruise" was the subject of a 55-minute Netflix documentary that was released in June 2025.
The ship underwent a $200 million renovation in 2019 and was renamed Carnival Sunrise. During the two-month dry dock in Spain, popular fast-casual food options such as Guy’s Pig & Anchor Bar-B-Que Smokehouse were added, along with amenities like the Limelight Lounge, WaterWorks aqua park, SportSquare, Piano Bar 88, and the Serenity Adult-Only Retreat.
The 101,509 gross-ton cruise ship sails exclusively from Miami, Florida, to The Bahamas and Caribbean. According to Cruise Mapper, the vessel alternates between 4- and 5-night itineraries to ports like Ocho Rios, Jamaica; Grand Cayman; Half Moon Cay; Celebration Key; and Nassau.
Read more: Carnival’s infamous "poop cruise" ship is still in service — but under a different name
Elizabeth Wright
Elizabeth graduated from New York University's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute with her M.A. in Journalism in May 2023. 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!
In addition to writing for Cruise.Blog, Elizabeth has bylines in Business Insider, Royal Caribbean Blog, and Cruiseshipfood.com.
