A 67-year-old man from Malaysia has been convicted of sexually abusing a child while cruising aboard the world’s largest cruise ship.
According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, a federal jury in Miami has convicted passenger Lay Ong for abusive sexual contact of a minor while cruising aboard Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas this spring.
The press release states that Ong was found guilty on October 23, 2025 for the crime. According to WPLG Local 10 News, the federal criminal complaint reports the incident took place on April 2, 2025 while Icon of the Seas sailed through international waters, en route to PortMiami.
The Justice Department stated, “According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Lay Ong, 67, was walking down a stateroom corridor when he encountered two boys, ages seven and nine, playing outside their cabin. Evidence showed that Ong began speaking with the children while touching the seven-year-old’s head and chin, then reached down and squeezed the child’s genitalia before walking away.”