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Jorge Manuel Teixeira.A cruise line waiter arrested at the Port of Los Angeles when his ship docked was charged Monday with sexually assaulting a passenger. Jorge Manuel Teixeira, 38, from Portugal, made his first court appearance at the Roybal Federal Building for one count of aggravated sexual abuse within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States. The special jurisdiction allows prosecution for crimes on the high seas or any place outside the jurisdiction of any nation for offenses against a U.S. citizen.
The 42-year-old alleged victim said Teixeira, a head waiter aboard Princess Cruises' Coral Princess, assaulted her just after midnight Saturday while they shared a bottle of wine in a secluded area of a dining room, according to an FBI affidavit. The affidavit, filed by Special Agent Charles Gravis, states that the woman met Teixeira, whom she knew as "George from Portugal," Thursday night in the Bordeaux Dining Room, where he is head waiter. The next night, they met at a corner table while the Coral Princess sailed in international waters off the coast of Mexico. In a written statement and in an interview with two FBI agents, the woman said they talked and drank for a little more than an hour, then Teixeira tried to kiss her, according to Gravis. She tried to push him off, but failed. Teixeira lifted her shirt, grabbed her breast and continued to try to kiss her, Gravis wrote. He repeatedly pushed her face toward his groin after unzipping his pants, but she said "no" and tried unsuccessfully to get away, Gravis' affidavit states. Teixeira allegedly told the woman, "You make me feel good, I make you feel good," according to the affidavit. During the assault, which included an act of digital penetration, Teixeira blocked her from leaving and sent away other workers who interrupted, Gravis added. When interviewed by agents, Teixeira originally denied that he touched her.
Later, he said he was aroused and ejaculated in his pants when she briefly touched his leg, Gravis wrote. Members of the FBI's Evidence Response Team found semen on the pair's clothing and in the area of the dining room where the alleged assault occurred, the affidavit states. The woman, who was described by ship employees as "distraught," reported him Friday. He remained sequestered in his quarters under the watch of ship security until the vessel docked Monday at the conclusion of its 14-day trip through the Panama Canal from Fort Lauderdale, Fla. "While this attack took place far from the borders of the United States, federal authorities have jurisdiction to investigate and prosecute crimes that take place on the high seas," said U.S. Attorney Thomas P. O'Brien.
"The attack alleged in this case warrants a thorough and swift prosecution to vindicate the rights of the victim and to inform the world that crimes like this will not be tolerated." According to a 2005 FBI report, sexual assaults account for 45 percent of the 305 crimes committed on the high seas that the agency investigated during a five-year period. About 10 million Americans travel on board ships in international waters each year. If convicted, Teixeira faces a potential sentence of life in prison, according to Thom Mrozek, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office.
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