Miami Standard (Miami, FL) – Two individuals face allegations of coercing a minor into sexual acts within a sauna during a voyage on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship.

On March 21, authorities from the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office took into custody Jose Diaz, 36, and Ricardo Leal, 37, as the Royal Caribbean’s Independence of the Seas arrived in Miami, based on arrest affidavits.

Two Mexican nationals now face serious allegations of inappropriate conduct with a minor, including molestation, related to an incident that reportedly took place on March 20 in the sauna of a cruise ship.

One of the individuals is confronting an extra allegation of sexual battery, while the other is dealing with a charge for failing to disclose his HIV status to the minor.

The individual asserts that the event took place while he was in the sauna alongside two unfamiliar faces, Diaz and Leal.

At one point, the victim claims that both Diaz and Leal “began to [perform a sex act] in front of him” before starting to perform the same act on the victim without his consent, ultimately “forc[ing] his hand to perform it on them,” according to the affidavits.

Upon being taken into custody, the individual diagnosed with HIV requested legal representation. The accused challenged the victim’s assertions, stating that the “sexual acts were consensual,” as noted in the affidavit.

During a hearing over the weekend, both individuals were denied bond and are currently in custody with an immigration hold in place.

Source: Men Accused of Forcing Boy, 14, to Perform Sex Acts in Sauna on Royal Caribbean Cruise