Maryland Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Federal Prison for Sexual Assault on Baltimore Cruise Ship

Baltimore, Maryland – Today, U.S. District Judge Julie R. Rubin sentenced Jalen Thomas Kelley, 22, of Abingdon, Maryland, to 20 years in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release. On December 12, 2024, after a two-week trial, a federal jury convicted Kelley of aggravated sexual abuse, sexual abuse, and assault.

Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentence with Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) – Baltimore Field Office.

According to the evidence presented at trial, between January 1 and January 2, 2023, Kelley forcibly raped and assaulted Victim 1 aboard the Carnival Legend. The cruise vessel was scheduled to return to Baltimore on January 2. In addition to the charged offenses, during trial, prosecutors presented testimony from six other individuals who alleged Kelley sexually assaulted them on separate occasions.

U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the FBI for its work in the investigation, and the Harford County State’s Attorney’s Office; Harford County Sherriff’s Office; Union County, North Carolina, District Attorney’s Office; Wingate University Campus Safety; Wingate, North Carolina Police Department; and Wingate Police Department for their valuable assistance. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sean R. Delaney and Colleen Elizabeth McGuinn who prosecuted the federal case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc. Click the “Resources” tab on the left side of the page to learn about Internet safety education.

For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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