Camera Found in Cruise Ship Bathroom; Man Charged

Passenger Charged After Camera Found Onboard

A passenger aboard the Celebrity Beyond cruise ship has been charged with video voyeurism after crew members discovered a hidden camera in a public bathroom, according to U.S. District Court records cited by the Virgin Islands Daily News.

The passenger, Robert Qi Peng, was arrested on April 2 after the ship arrived in St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The charge was filed in connection with a device found during the ship’s Caribbean voyage, which had departed from the region days earlier.

The case was handled by the FBI, which filed the warrant in the matter. Peng, a U.S. citizen from Charlotte, North Carolina, was identified through the ship’s investigation and federal review after the vessel docked.

How the Device Was Found

According to the arrest warrant affidavit, a member of the cleaning staff found a pen containing a small camera in a unisex public bathroom. The device had been placed beneath discarded hand towels, and the cleaner brought it to ship security.

Security personnel reviewed surveillance footage and worked backward to identify passengers who had accessed the restroom, the affidavit stated. Investigators said the review pointed to Peng, who was seen entering the bathroom multiple times.

After the ship docked at Crown Bay in St. Thomas, federal agents and port authorities examined the device. The affidavit said the recordings captured passengers using the restroom.

The Investigation Onboard

The discovery occurred during the ship’s multi-day Caribbean voyage, court records indicate. The cleaning staff member who found the pen reported it rather than setting it aside, which prompted the security review.

Ship security’s footage review allowed investigators to narrow the set of passengers who had used the restroom during the relevant window, according to the affidavit. That process led them to identify Peng before the ship reached port.

Federal agents boarded after the ship arrived in St. Thomas, consistent with how cases are handled when conduct is alleged aboard a vessel that later docks at a U.S. port.

Statements to Investigators

According to the affidavit, Peng spoke with FBI agents and admitted to placing the camera. He told investigators he had purchased the pen camera and other recording devices online some months earlier.

Peng gave agents permission to search his room, laptop, and phone, the affidavit said. Investigators reported finding additional recordings on his laptop during that search.

These statements are described in the federal affidavit and form part of the basis for the charge. The information has not been tested in court, and Peng is entitled to the presumption of innocence.

Legal Status of the Case

Peng was charged with video voyeurism, a federal matter given the location of the alleged conduct. According to court records, he was released after signing an unsecured $1,000 bond.

He was permitted to disembark in St. Thomas and return to his home in North Carolina while the case proceeds. The arrest and charge represent the current stage of the matter; no trial outcome has been reported.

The distinction between the charge and any eventual finding remains central. The case stands at the charging stage following the arrest in St. Thomas.

A Renewed Look at Cruise Privacy

The case has drawn attention to passenger privacy aboard cruise ships, where shared and public spaces are common. The discovery in this instance came from a crew member during routine cleaning.

Coverage of the matter noted that cases of this kind, while not common relative to overall passenger volume, raise questions about monitoring of shared spaces at sea. The handling here began with a staff report rather than a passenger complaint.

Authorities encouraged anyone who believed they may have been affected to contact investigators. The matter remains pending in federal court following the April arrest, with no further hearings reported at the time of the initial coverage.

References: Article C39c99eb E95c 4d39 B71a 911776bcdb99 - The Virgin Islands Daily News | Hidden Camera Discovered in Cruise Bathroom Leads to Voyeurism Charge - Cruise Law News