FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – A cruise ship dancer from New York appeared in Fort Lauderdale federal court Monday after authorities accused him of possessing and distributing child sexual abuse material.
Court documents state Jamaal Wade, 26, of Washington Heights, Manhattan, admitted in online chats to having molested a boy while “on tour with a performance group.”
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U.S. Marshals arrested him in Broward County on Sunday, jail records show. It’s not clear whether the arrest came before or after a cruise.
Court documents state the investigation into Wade began in October after federal agents seized the phone of a user of the messaging app Telegram.
Wade, authorities said, had sent that user child sexual abuse material depicting victims as young as 2. Additionally, that user said that he had gone to Wade’s apartment to view child sexual abuse material with him, court documents state.
According to those court documents, Wade had told the user that he had previously been arrested in Detroit for conduct “while on tour.”
Authorities said Detroit Police Department arrest records confirmed that Wade had been arrested on Feb. 18, 2020 after being accused of molesting an 11-year-old boy. It’s unclear whether he was ever convicted; Wade’s name did not show up in searches of Michigan court records.
An FBI covert employee later began chatting with Wade, who sent the agent multiple videos of boys as young as 4 being raped or otherwise sexually abused, court documents state.
Authorities said Wade, in chats with both the original suspect and the undercover agent, discussed working on cruise ships as a dancer.
Court documents do not specify which cruise line employed him at the time of his arrest; a 2020 profile of Wade states he has worked for both Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Lines and on stage.
The documents state that Wade, in a March 22 chat, told the FBI covert employee that he had “brought his ‘collection’” of child sexual abuse material “on board the ship.”
Wade is charged with one count of receipt and distribution of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. He could face up to 20 years in prison on each count if convicted.
Further prosecution of his case will be handled in the Southern District of New York, according to federal court records.
Wade remained in the Paul Rein Detention Facility in Pompano Beach, pending extradition, as of Tuesday morning.