Utah Man Sentenced to Three Years Prison for Cruise Ship Sexual Assault

A Utah man has been sentenced to prison for sexual assault, after he was accused of sexually attacking a woman aboard a cruise ship in late 2018.

31-year-old Saul Clemente Monago was sailing aboard the Norwegian Pearl cruise ship with a group of people when the group entered the victim’s cabin room on October 11, 2018. The victim was asleep when the group entered the room. 

Some time later the group left the room, leaving only Monago, who did not know the victim, and the victim behind. The victim awakened to Monago sexually assaulting her. After pushing him away, she ran into the ship’s hallway screaming for help.  When a cruise ship security personnel responded to the woman’s cry for help he reportedly found Monago in a bed in the victim’s cabin, apparently intoxicated. Monago was arrested by the FBI after the ship returned to port at San Diego three days after the incident. Monago reportedly admitted to the charges. 

Monago has been sentenced to three years in federal custody, followed by one year supervised release, reports Fox 5 San Diego. He will also have to register as a sex offender. 

In a statement about the sentence, FBI Special Agent in Charge Scott Brunner said, “This sentence is an important step in obtaining justice for the victim in this case.” He added that sexual assault is “one of the leading crimes reported to and investigated by the FBI on the high seas.”