Former Crewmember on Cruise Ship Sentenced to More Than Seven Years for Transporting Child Sexual Abuse Material into the United States

Orlando, Florida - Robert Jonathan De Oliveira Ricci (36, Brazil) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Julie Sneed to seven years and three months in federal prison for transportation and possession of child sexual abuse material. Ricci pleaded guilty on May 16, 2025. The court also ordered Ricci to register as a sex offender and forfeit a smartphone, which he used to commit the offenses. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to court documents, Ricci was a crewmember on board an internationally operated cruise ship that arrived at the U.S. Port of Entry at Port Canaveral on March 10, 2025. A border search of Ricci's smartphone revealed he had traveled into the United States with at least 83 videos and 184 images depicting the sexual abuse of children, including children as young as infants and toddlers.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. It was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Matthew Del Mastro.

It is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify, rescue, and seek justice for child victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.