ST. THOMAS — A federal Grand Jury in St. Thomas on Oct. 8 returned a two-count superseding indictment against Louie Ison Mangampat, 37, of the Philippines, charging him with one count of aggravated sexual abuse and one count of committing a hate crime, United States Attorney Gretchen Shappert announced.
The indictment stems from Mangampat allegedly sexually assaulting a crew member on board a Celebrity cruise ship in September of 2019. The superseding indictment adds the hate crime offense to the original Grand Jury indictment previously returned on November 7, 2019. Under federal law, Mangampat faces a maximum sentence of up to life in prison and a maximum $250,000 fine.
United States Attorney Shappert reminds the public that an indictment is merely a formal charging document and is not evidence of guilt. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of investigations and the Virgin Islands Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Everard E. Potter.
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