New Bedford Guide Your Guide to New Bedford and South Coast, MA
“A Minnesota man has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston for allegedly engaging in abusive sexual contact while a passenger aboard a cruise ship from Iceland to Boston in August 2022.
Daniel Farias, 45, of Bloomington, Minn., was indicted on one count of abusive sexual contact. He will appear in federal court in Boston on Jan. 20, 2023 at 2:15 p.m. Farias was arrested and charged by criminal complaint in August 2022.
According to the charging documents, while aboard the Celebrity Summit Cruise Ship travelling from Reykjavík, Iceland to Boston, Farias sexually assaulted a male crewmember in the early morning hours of Aug. 30, 2022. Specifically, it is alleged that the victim entered the mid-ship men’s restroom to clean. The restroom was empty apart from a male passenger – later identified as Farias – occupying one of stalls. At some point, Farias allegedly exited the stall, approached the victim and began rubbing his hand on the victim’s forearm. The victim pulled his arm away, and said, “What are you doing?” It is alleged that Farias then used both of his hands to grab the victim’s genitalia over the victim’s clothes and then made a sexually explicit comment. The victim pulled away. Farias allegedly then asked the victim if he was upset, to which the victim said he was. According to the charging documents, Farias apologized and asked the victim not to report what happened before leaving the restroom.
The charge of abusive sexual contact provides for a sentence of up to two years in prison, up to one year of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Jennifer De La O, Director of Field Operations of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Boston Field Office; and Colonel Christopher Mason, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Suzanne Sullivan Jacobus of Rollins’ Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.” -Massachusetts Department of Justice.
