Portsmouth Man Pleads Guilty to Assaulting Passenger on Cruise Ship

NORFOLK, Va. – A Portsmouth man pleaded guilty today to assaulting a fellow passenger with a dangerous weapon, resulting in serious bodily injury, on a cruise ship last year.

According to court documents, Michael Truman, 39, assaulted a passenger aboard the Carnival “Magic” Cruise Ship on October 20, 2023. The cruise ship was off the coast of Nantucket in open waters. Truman was loudly disrupting a theater show aboard the cruise ship when he was asked twice by a fellow passenger to quiet down. After Truman refused, the passenger began to leave the area to request assistance from a cruise ship employee. Truman then smashed a cocktail glass into the victim’s face, got on top of the victim, and began striking him further. The broken glass caused significant lacerations to the victim’s face, requiring more than a dozen stitches.

Truman is scheduled to be sentenced on August 29. He faces a maximum penalty of ten years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Brian Dugan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office, made the announcement after U.S. Magistrate Judge Lawrence R. Leonard accepted the plea.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anthony Mozzi and Clayton LaForge are prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:23-cr-144.