A Michigan teen has been sentenced to prison after reporting a bogus bomb threat on the Carnival cruise ship that his girlfriend and her family were on after becoming upset he didn’t go with them.
Joshua Darrell Lowe, 19, was sentenced to eight months in prison on Monday, April 14, for making a false bomb threat, forcing Carnival Corp. to check over 1,000 rooms on board after the ship had departed Miami in January 2024, prosecutors said.
Lowe, who was living with his girlfriend and her family in Muskegon County, reported a bomb on the ship because he was upset they left him at home to watch their pets while they sailed to Jamaica, prosecutors said.
“FBI agents traced the email address to Lowe, who was living with his girlfriend’s family,” Assistant US Attorney Nils Kessler said in a court filing.
“Lowe admitted he sent the message because he was upset that the family went on the cruise, while leaving him behind to care for their pets.
“Anyone making a bomb threat should expect to be taken at his word.
Fortunately, this particular hoax did not result in physical injury,” Kessler added.
“Lowe admitted he sent the message because he was upset that the family went on the cruise, while leaving him behind to care for their pets.
“Anyone making a bomb threat should expect to be taken at his word. Fortunately, this particular hoax did not result in physical injury,” Kessler added.
Carnival Cruise Lines received the phony tip in an email in January 2024 that warned, “Hey, I think someone might have a bomb on your sunrise cruise ship,” the US Attorney’s Office said last year.
The cruise ship, Sunrise, had just left Miami and was headed for Jamaica when the threat came in, officials said.
The ship’s staff searched over 1,000 rooms after receiving the email.
The US Coast Guard and Jamaican authorities also got involved in escorting the ship to port.
Lowe reportedly apologized for his actions in a letter to US District Judge Paul Maloney, writing, “This is all my fault and I take full responsibility.”