Disney Cruise Ship Passenger Arrested at Port Everglades

A Disney cruise ship passenger is facing child abuse charges after being detained at Port Everglades, Florida, at the end of a Disney cruise.

Dakota Anthony Ferguson, age 22, of Columbus, Ohio, has appeared in a Florida federal court charged with the transportation and possession of media containing underage children.

Arrested After a Phone Search

He disembarked Disney Magic over the weekend and was detained after a search of his iPhone. Ferguson is also facing charges of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, which is unrelated, dating back to 2022 in Ohio.

In the current case, US Customs and Border Protection officers conducted a secondary search on the cellphone and discovered “numerous” videos.

The videos show “prepubescent girls involved in sexual acts,” according to a June 3 complaint penned by Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent Katherine Leonard. She is assigned to the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

Ferguson admitted to investigators that he began looking at CSAM three years ago, purchased it, and “viewed, received and distributed it through the Telegram, Mega, and X apps.”

He was detained at the Broward Main Jail until his next court appearance on June 10.

Passenger also Charged in Ohio

Ferguson’s Ohio indictment relates to alleged offenses committed when he was 19. It involved sexual contact with a victim aged between 13 and 15 at the time. According to court documents, he has pleaded not guilty to this case.

So far this year, cruise ship crew members have been arrested, mainly at Florida ports, for the alleged possession or distribution of underage material. Ten crew members have been arrested in just the last few months, including two this week at PortMiami.