FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – An employee of the Disney Cruise Line was arrested and charged with multiple federal crimes in Florida related to child pornography after investigators discovered disturbing images on his two of his phones.
Tirso Neri, 44, was taken into custody on Monday by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agents as the Disney ship docked at the Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, reported WPLG.
Neri, a native of the Philippines, is the third company employee to face child porn charges just this calendar year. Disney employees Alvin Gonzales, 49, and Amiel Trazo, 28, who are also from the Philippines, were each arrested in January on child pornography charges, according to the New York Post. It’s unclear if the cases are related.
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Special Agent Eric Stowers initiated a probe into Neri on December 18, 2023, after the Disney Dream arrived at Port Everglades from the Bahamas.
The criminal complaint revealed that HSI and CBP agents went to Neri’s cabin to conduct a border search of his two smartphones.
Investigators ultimately discovered “numerous sexually explicit photographs and videos of young children.” Their ages ranged from as young as 9 to as old as 17. Images of both boys and girls were reportedly found.
One particularly disturbing file was titled “9 years old delicious” in Neri’s native language. It reportedly showed a young girl nude with a grown man.
Another folder was discovered with the name of an apparent minor victim which contained several sexual and nude photos and videos of the minor along with a photo of her Philippines passport, which revealed her date of birth. She was 17-years-old, according to court documents.
Neri claimed he was only interested in adult pornography and must have “saved it to his phone without looking at it and had not deleted the folder,” WPLG reported.
However, a forensic examination conflicted with his denial, reported The Western Journal. It revealed that he not only saved, but viewed the material.
Following Neri’s arrest, he was booked at the Broward Main Jail. The charges include possession of child pornography and transportation of child pornography.
It’s unclear what Neri’s job classification was with Disney, or whether he interacted with children as part of his responsibilities.
Neri was terminated by Disney following his arrest, the company said in a statement obtained by WPLG.
“In accordance with our zero-tolerance policy for this kind of alleged behavior, this individual is no longer with the company,” a representative for Disney Cruise Line said.
