A resident of Polk Metropolis, Florida was arrested on the Port of Tampa on fees of possessing and transporting baby pornography on the Margaritaville at Sea’s Islander, in response to a local news station in Tampa.
James Oxley, age 52, boarded the Islander cruise ship, operated by Margaritaville at Sea, on December 17, 2025 for a 5 day cruise to ports in Mexico. Nearly fifteen years earlier (April 2012), Oxley was discovered responsible in Orange County, Florida on three counts of possession of {a photograph} or image displaying the sexual efficiency by a baby, in violation of Florida Statute 827.071(5). This conviction required Oxley to register as a sexual offender.
Oxley considered pornographic photos (each images and movies) of minors on his iPhone in the course of the cruise. The legal courtroom file reveals that when Oxley was arrested on the finish of the cruise, his iPhone contained roughly 2,041 photos and 6 movies in a folder tilted “Not too long ago Deleted,” solely 17 of which weren’t baby pornography or baby erotica.
When the cruise ship returned to port and Oxley was disemarking, he was referred to a secondary inspection by Customs and Border Safety (CBP) resulting from Oxley’s standing as a intercourse offender. Whereas in secondary inspection, CBP Officers found Oxley was in possession of an iPhone 13. Oxley supplied the passcode to his iPhone 13 to CBP. Throughout an preliminary inspection, CBP Officers noticed baby pornography within the “Not too long ago Deleted” folder. The officers decided that he tried to delete the photographs on December 21, 2024 whereas the cruise ship was at sea returning to port in Tampa, after visiting Progreso and Cozumel, Mexico.
A overview of the federal courtroom legal file contained an affidavit from a Particular Agent with america Division of Homeland Safety, Homeland Safety Investigations who considered Oxley’s cellphone. Of the quite a few photos, there have been images of youngsters between the ages of 5 and eight years previous.
After being suggested of and waiving his Miranda rights, Oxley informed the brokers that shortly earlier than the cruise, he visited a Russian web site that’s “well-known for internet hosting photos and movies of kid pornography and baby erotica.” He additionally admitted that he started “saving photos sporadically from this web site since his prior conviction for baby pornography in 2012.”
A press launch from the U.S. Lawyer’s for the Center District of Florida indicated that Oxley additionally possessed AI generated photos that depicted minors engaged in sexually specific conduct. Oxley faces a most penalty of 40 years in federal jail for transporting baby intercourse abuse materials and as much as 20 years in federal jail for the AI offenses and possession of photos and movies of kid exploitation.
Of curiosity, this specific cruise line, Margaritaville at Sea, apparently permits intercourse offenders to cruise with out restrictions. Some cruise traces, notably Carnival and Royal Caribbean, don’t allow sexual offenders to cruise on their ships.
Anybody convicted of being a sexual offender should register and their standing is available to the general public. On the time of this cruise, the Florida Division of Regulation Enforcement (FDLE). FDLE had listed Oxley’s standing as a intercourse offender and its on-line web site had a flyer posted on its website (see beneath). Oxley’s standing as a convicted sexual offender was additionally accessible on the National Sex Offender Public Website.
The truth that Oxley boarded the Islander cruise ship with actually hundreds of sexually specific photos involving minors may simply have been prevented if Margaritaville at Sea merely had the identical coverage as Carnival and Royal Caribbean of reviewing the intercourse offender database. Contemplating that there are no less than 750,000 registered sexual offenders within the U.S., it’s gone time that each one cruise traces undertake and implement a ban towards sexual offenders being allowed on cruise ships. Does anybody actually wish to go on a household cruise with a convicted intercourse offender with hundreds of photos of kid pornography on his iPhone?
Have a feedback or questions? Please depart one beneath or join the discussion on our Facebook page.
January 22, 2025 Replace:
Picture credit: James Oxley mugshots – Pinellas County Sheriff’s Workplace through FOX13 and FDLE Sexual Offenders and Predators Search database; Tampa-Mexico cruise schematic – iCruise; Islander – Margaritaville at Sea.
