CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A former Disney Cruise Line worker accused of molesting a young passenger was sentenced to more than five years in prison Thursday after entering a guilty plea.
20998418
Ahmed Sofyan, 37, was originally arrested in April 2014 on charges of lewd molestation and false imprisonment.
Investigators said while the Disney Dream cruise ship was docked at Port Canaveral, Sofyan lured a 13-year-old girl into an unoccupied cabin and molested her.
The victim's family read a statement to the judge during the plea hearing about how the incident has affected their lives.
"Our family is currently still picking up the pieces, making phone calls and praying for resolution," the victim's brother said. "I am unable to talk about the details of this crime without crying or shaking. None of us want to discuss this cruise, which has definitely turned into a nightmare."
"The last thing they had on their mind was that a crew member of a Disney company boat would assault their daughter this way," Assistant State Attorney Russ Bousch said.
Sofyan was sentenced Thursday by a judge to 5 years 10 months in prison. The state had requested a sentence of 10 years in prison.
"I think we were being very reasonable," said Bousch. "I feel like the sentence was a little lenient in this case."
Sofyan, who's a native of Indonesia, apologized to the victim's family and said he regrets the decision he made that day.
Once he serves his sentence, he will be immediately deported back to Indonesia by the federal government.