Adam Christopher Boyd, Minor Sex Abuse, MS 2017

BOSTON – Adam Christopher Boyd, 32, from Bay Springs, Mississippi, stood before federal judge Mark L. Wolf in Boston on Friday, April 26, 2019, where he pleaded guilty to the monstrous charge of sexually abusing a minor aboard a cruise ship en route from Boston to Bermuda.

Boyd’s guilty plea comes after an August 2017 incident where he was alleged to have raped a child passenger while the vessel was docked in Bermuda. The harrowing act was reported to ship security, leading to Boyd’s arrest and subsequent extradition to the United States for prosecution.

Following his initial court appearance in 2017, Boyd was released under stringent conditions but violated them in November 2018, resulting in his detention. Sentencing is scheduled for August 1, 2019, where he faces a possible sentence of up to 15 years in prison, with supervised release and a fine that could reach $250,000.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling and Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Boston Field Office, announced the charges against Boyd. The investigation was a collaborative effort involving U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Bermuda Police Service, Massachusetts Port Authority, and FBI Legat Bridgetown, Barbados.

Project Safe Childhood, an initiative founded by the Department of Justice in 2006, played a crucial role in bringing Boyd to justice. The program seeks to protect children from exploitation and abuse, identifying and prosecuting those who exploit them. More information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at www.projectsafechildhood.gov/.

RELATED: Casino Bomb Threat Lands Man in Court

RELATED: Beaumont Man Copped 7 Years for Meth Trafficking