Key Aspects:
- A Virginia Beach resident was arrested on felony charges while attempting to board a cruise ship at the Norfolk Cruise Port on August 23, 2025.
- The man was caught after he was connected to an active warrant by US Customs and Border Patrol agents during the routine security screening.
- It’s unclear which cruise ship the suspect was intending to board, as both Carnival Sunshine and ACL American Patriot were in the port that day.
Don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time – and don’t try to board a cruise ship if you don’t want to get caught!
One alleged criminal named Fard Shaheed Matthews was just caught at Virginia’s Norfolk Cruise Port while going through the security process before boarding a cruise ship on Saturday, August 23, 2025.
It’s not clear which cruise ship the 49-year-old Virginia Beach resident was planning to sail on, as Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Sunshine and American Cruise Lines’ ACL American Patriot were both in the port that day.
Either way, he never made it onboard because US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers discovered the cruiser-to-be had an outstanding arrest warrant issued by the Norfolk Police Department.
His alleged crimes are felony forcible rape and sexual battery charges, which, depending on the circumstances, could result in several years in prison to a life sentence if Matthews is found guilty.
“These allegations, if proven true, are serious and reprehensible, and Customs and Border Protection officers are pleased to assist our local law enforcement partners in returning a fugitive to justice,” said Keri Brady, CBP’s Acting Area Port Director for the Area Port of Norfolk-Newport News.
“CBP’s unique border security mission of knowing who is entering or departing the United States allows us to ensure that victims’ voices are heard, and helps our law enforcement partners make our streets a little safer,” Brady added.
After verifying Matthews’ identity and that the warrant was indeed still active, CBP personnel turned him over to officers with the Norfolk Police Department, who took him into custody.
Are Cruisers Always Background Checked?
While cruise guests are not guaranteed to be background checked every time they embark on a cruise, major cruise lines like Carnival and Royal Caribbean do reserve the right to do so for safety reasons.
“Carnival Cruise Line (“Carnival”) reserves the right to use consumer reports prepared by a third-party consumer reporting agency, to conduct a criminal background check for guests who have booked a Carnival cruise,” reads Carnival’s policy.
“Given that cruise vessels are at sea, with many guests and crew in close contact for an extended period, Carnival has a legitimate business purpose for conducting these background checks.”
However, cruise guests will always undergo a strict security and document verification process before being permitted to board.
But at US Ports of Entry (which the Norfolk Cruise Port is), the security measures are taken to another level because CBP completes its own inspections and searches.
As part of this, CBP officers compare passengers to numerous law enforcement databases to identify guests who might require additional scrutiny. This is where active arrest warrants might come back to haunt certain cruisers.
According to CBP, its officers welcomed and processed more than one million travelers arriving at the various ports of entry, airports, and land border crossings on an average day in 2024.
Out of this massive number, an average of 44 wanted suspects would be identified and arrested.
Read Also: Are Cruises Safe? What You Really Need to Know
This also isn’t the first time that a passenger with an active warrant was foiled by attempting to board a cruise ship.
In June, a 64-year-old woman named Karen Bryan was arrested while trying to board a cruise ship in Ketchikan, Alaska, because she had an active warrant for embezzlement charges in Wyoming.
As another example, a 47-year-old man named Dominic Weaver was arrested at the end of last year while disembarking a cruise in Miami because he owed more than $100,000 in back child support.
