Passenger convicted of sexual abuse of child on cruise ship that left Miami

A Malaysian man has been convicted of sexually abusing a child while on board a cruise ship that sailed out of Miami, authorities said.

Lay Ong, 67, was convicted by a federal jury on Oct. 23 of abusive sexual contact of a minor, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida said in a news release Friday.

According to an arrest affidavit, Ong had been a passenger aboard the Royal Caribbean Icon of the Seas that departed PortMiami on March 29 and returned April 5.

While the ship was in international waters, Ong encountered two boys, ages 7 and 9, who were playing in a corridor outside their cabin, the affidavit said.

Ong started speaking with the children and began touching the 7-year-old’s head and chin before he reached down and squeezed the child’s genitalia, prosecutors said.

According to the affidavit, the kids reported the incident to the 7-year-old’s parents, saying Ong had asked them if they were boys or girls then said “let me check” before grabbing the child.

Security cameras on the ship captured the encounter, the affidavit said.

Ong faces a maximum of life in prison at sentencing. He’s also subject to deportation after his sentence.

“Abusing a child is an unforgivable act,” U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida, said in a statement. “This verdict makes clear that anyone who preys on a child—anywhere, and under any flag—will be held to account. We will continue working with the FBI to protect young victims and bring their abusers to justice.”