Robert Jonathan De Oliveira Ricci, a 36-year-old Brazilian national, was sentenced on April 6 to seven years and three months in federal prison for transportation and possession of child sexual abuse material. U.S. District Judge Julie Sneed issued the sentence after Ricci pleaded guilty on May 16, 2025. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe.
The case highlights ongoing efforts to address crimes involving the exploitation of children. Ricci, who worked as a crewmember on an internationally operated cruise ship, arrived at Port Canaveral in Florida on March 10, 2025. During a border search of his smartphone, authorities discovered at least 83 videos and 184 images depicting the sexual abuse of children, including infants and toddlers.
In addition to his prison sentence, Ricci is required to register as a sex offender and forfeit the smartphone used in committing these offenses.
The investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Special Assistant United States Attorney Matthew Del Mastro prosecuted the case.
This prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse nationwide. The program brings together federal, state, and local resources to identify offenders who exploit children online or offline and works toward rescuing victims.
