Man pleads guilty to sexually abusing teen on Carnival cruise

A man pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a teenager during a cruise.

Kendrick White Sr., 43, and the victim were passengers on a sailing that departed from New Orleans on November 18, 2023, according to a May 26 news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana.

The victim was 15 at the time.

A criminal complaint filed in August said the cruise ship was operated by Carnival Cruise Line, but did not name the vessel. The cruise visited Mexico and spent two days at sea before returning to New Orleans.

Carnival Corp., the cruise line’s parent company, did not immediately respond to USA TODAY’s request for comment. An attorney for White declined to comment because the case is still pending.

White continued to make advances after the victim repeatedly declined. She named White as her assailant and one of his sons as a witness in a police statement, according to the filing.

“WHITE faces a maximum term of imprisonment of fifteen (15) years,” the release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. “WHITE also faces a lifetime of supervised release, up to a $250,000 fine, and can be required to register as a sex offender. He also faces payment of a $100 mandatory special assessment fee per count.”

He is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 1.

Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. You can reach him at [email protected].