Miami-Dade Man Charged for Inappropriately Handling Child on Cruise Ship

Chris Gothner, Digital Journalist

MIAMI – A west Miami-Dade man was caught on camera on board an MSC cruise ship pulling down a 6-year-old boy’s swimsuit — twice — leading to his arrest on three felony charges after the ship returned to PortMiami, according to police.

Authorities took Sergey Asanov, a 64-year-old Russian national who lives in the Fontainebleau area, into custody on Saturday.

According to an arrest report from the Miami-Dade Police Department, the incident occurred last Tuesday while the MSC Seascape was in international waters.

Police reported that Asanov and the victim were involved in “horseplay” in a jacuzzi when Asanov submerged the boy’s head underwater and then “forcefully” removed the boy’s swimming trunks, exposing his genitals.

The report mentions that Asanov returned the swimsuit to the boy. After the boy had dressed and exited the jacuzzi, Asanov “pushed the victim back into the jacuzzi and forcefully removed his pants a second time,” according to police.

The report does not clarify whether Asanov was a stranger to the boy.

A Miami-Dade judge found probable cause to charge him with two counts of lewd and lascivious conduct on a child under 16 and one count of child abuse; court records show he was released Monday on a $17,500 bond.

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