MIAMI — A nearby security camera captured a man who appeared to be Lay Ong of Malaysia approaching the two boys and striking up a conversation, according to the complaint.
Over the course of that conversation, the complaint said that the security camera captured Ong touch the 7-year-old’s face and chin.
Then, the 67-year-old man sexually abused the young boy.
“Ong leans forward slightly and extends his left hand, grabbing [the victim’s] genitalia,” the complaint said.
The boy “appears to back away” as soon as he is touched, per the complaint, while Ong just walked away.
At this point, the victim and eyewitness both went to the room to tell the victim’s mother what had happened according to the complaint, and she in turn contacted security on the ship.
The complaint said that the two boys told the victim’s mother that Ong asked if they were “boys or girls” and after they said “boys,” Ong responded: “Let me check.”
That is when Ong allegedly grabbed the boy’s genitalia.
The cruise’s security team was able to track down Ong after seeing the footage of the incident, but when they questioned him, he denied the events — claiming he had been “playing” and touched the victim’s stomach but never his groin.
Despite his denial, prosecutors charged him with abusive sexual contact just a few days later on April 5.
A jury ultimately convicted Ong on that charge after a two-day trial.
“Abusing a child is an unforgivable act,” said Jason A. Reding Quiñones, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida. “This verdict makes clear that anyone who preys on a child—anywhere, and under any flag—will be held to account.”
Ong’s sentencing is set for January 21, 2026.
