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The FBI arrested a man on Wednesday for video voyeurism. The man they arrested was spotted setting the video that filmed over 150 victims on the cruise.

Another passenger on the cruise ship spotted a hidden camera in a public access bathroom. The FBI said the camera was found above the bathroom door, facing the toilet. 

When the camera contents were reviewed it was discovered that over 150 people using the bathroom or changing clothes were captured on video. Both adults and minors appeared on the hidden video cam.

The suspect, Jeremy Froias had been a passenger on April 29, on a seven-day Royal Caribbean cruise that sailed from Miami, Florida.

The arrest complaint detailed that when the ship reached international waters, Froias placed a hidden camera with Wi-Fi capabilities in a public bathroom on the ship's top deck.

Photos taken by the FBI showed the small black camera and where it was placed in an area above the inside of the bathroom door. The report also shows the area that the camera was pointing to.

Video Voyeurism on the high seas

The following day, May 1, a passenger spotted the lens of the camera. And notified the Royal Caribbean crew. Security personnel removed the camera and located a memory card, on which they found hours of footage. Some victims were changing and were totally undressed on the recording. 

About 40 of them appeared to be minors, some as young as 4 or 5 years old, the complaint said.

But the video also showed the suspect setting up the camera and later adjusting its position so that it would focus on the toilet. 

Within hours security personnel on the ship interviewed the suspected passenger. And he admitted to placing the camera in the restroom.

Froias was charged with video voyeurism by recording an individual in a private area without their consent. And he was also charged with the attempted possession of child exploitation material. 

The Video Voyeurism Prevention Act of 2004 makes it a federal crime to secretly take photos or videos of people “for lascivious purposes on federal property.” 

Video voyeurism is a federal crime when it applies to the “special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States”, 

For just one violation of the law, 18 U.S.C. § 1801, a person may be fined up to $100,000 or face up to one year of imprisonment. Froias could be charged with 150 counts.

A statement from the Royal Caribbean said: "We are aware of an incident that occurred onboard Harmony of the Seas' April 29 cruise. The matter was immediately reported to local and federal law enforcement and the guest involved was removed from the ship by authorities for further investigation. As this is an active case, we are unable to share any more details at this time."

The FBI is legally required to identify victims of federal crimes it investigates. And they ask anyone who may have been a victim to fill out this form.

"The FBI believes he primarily targeted cruise ship passengers between the timeframe of April 30 and May 1, 2023.” 

They suggest that passengers who may have used the public bathroom on Harmony's top deck between the 'Flow Rider' surfing simulator and a bar were at-risk. And that according to an FBI notice, “Passengers using this bathroom may have been video recorded by Froias."