Personal Injury Law

Carnival cruise ship bartender accused of raping teen to make Orlando court appearance

By Lipcon, Margulies & Alsina, P.A.

A bartender on a Carnival Cruise Line ship accused of raping a 14-year-old girl who was vacationing with her parents will make an appearance in Orlando federal court this week.

Hery Krispiyanto, 30, will be arraigned Wednesday on a count of sex abuse of a minor. He was indicted last week.

Court records said the teenager, identified as "T.W.," was aboard Carnival's Freedom ship, which left from the Port of Fort Lauderdale in April 2009.

While on the cruise, T.W. and her parents became acquainted with Krispiyanto. T.W. said Krispiyanto was nice to her and commented that she did not look 14.

T.W. told investigators she was alone on the upper deck of the ship one night when Krispiyanto walked up behind her, grabbed her arm and pulled her into a nearby employee-only room and closed the door, records said.

Krispiyanto began to touch T.W. inappropriately, and she repeatedly told him to stop, court records said. T.W. said she tried to fight him, but Krispiyanto raped her, the criminal complaint said.

T.W. reported the incident to her mother in August, and it was then reported to the FBI.

When an FBI agent questioned Krispiyanto in April, he first denied the incident, records said. But after a polygraph exam indicated Krispiyanto was being deceptive, he confessed to having sex with T.W. aboard the cruise ship in a pantry area, court records said.

Krispiyanto is being held at the Seminole County Jail.

Full post as published by Cruise Ship Law on May 31, 2010 (boomark / email).