A college football player, Jalen Thomas Kelley, with a history of physical assault, r*ped a 17-year-old girl aboard a Carnival Cruise ship as she was celebrating the holidays with her family.
Jalen Thomas Kelly was born in 2003 in Abingdon, Maryland. He was the redshirt junior running back for Wingate University’s football team.
Highlights
- The Maryland man who r*ped a teen girl onboard a Carnival cruise ship was a college football star, Jalen Thomas Kelley, who had a history of sexually assaulting girls.
- Prosecutors said Jalen met the girl follwing the New Year’s Eve party and took her back to his cabin when she needed to use the restroom.
- The teen was examined at a local hospital, where doctors found she had bruises on her right arm and shins as well as “vaginal abrasions, tearing and bruising.”
He was listed on the Wingate athletic website’s football roster in September 2023 but was removed later due to the physical abuse case registered against him.
Earlier, he played football for the Wingate, getting one rushing attempt for nine years in five games.
Jalen Thomas Kelley Faces Up To Life Prison For Physically Abusing A Teen In The Carnival Cruise
Jalen Thomas Kelly, 22, was found guilty of aggravated physical abuse and assault in connection to the incident aboard the Carnival Legend, the US Attorney’s office for the District of Maryland said in a December 13, 2024 news release.
In the Carnival cruise ship case, he forcibly r*ped the teen after taking her back to his cabin when she needed a restroom, then pushed her face-first onto the bed and abused her.
As per the prosecutors, Jalen saw that she was intoxicated, realized she was vulnerable, and took full advantage of the situation.
As per the prosecutors, Kelley asked, “You good?” after r*ping her.
The teen was vacationing with her family for the holidays between Jan.1, 2023, and Jan.2, 2023, the day cruise was returning to a Baltimore port. However, the identity of the victim has not been revealed yet.
After the cruise returned to Baltimore, she and her family went home to Virginia, where she reported the r*pe to her parents and police.
She was examined at a Virginia hospital and had bruises on her right arm and shins as well as “vaginal abrasions, tearing and bruising.”
However, Kelley denied abusing the teen when FBI agents visited him at the college in April 2023.
Jalen told agents that he and the girl had kissed and touched each other outside of his room before he let her use the bathroom, and he told them he thought she was under the influence.
After the feds arrested him at the University in September 2023, a student came forward and reported that Kelley had also r*ped her, according to the Wingate Triangle, the university’s student newspaper.
However, it’s unclear whether he was arrested in that case.
The running back for Wingate University had already been convicted of physical assault as a minor in 2019, and jurors heard testimony from 6 people accusing him of other physical assault, including when the FBI was already investigating him for the cruise r*pe.
In November 2023, there was an outstanding arrest warrant for Kelly for 2nd-degree forcible r*pe in connection with that victim. In the court documents, prosecutors wrote,
“Kelley has an alarming history of allegations of sexual assault from males and females spanning from early 2017 through September 2023,”
Prosecutors
As per the US Attorney’s office, Jalen Thomas Kelley faces up to life in prison in the federal case. The US Attorney Erek L. Barron said,
“Sexual Violence is a horrific violation of personal autonomy and will not be tolerated. We will hold perpetrators accountable.”
Erek L. Barron
He added,
“This verdict should send a message to surviviros that they are tough, validated and supported.”
Erek L. Barron
William J. DelBagno, the FBI Baltimore Special Agent in Charge, added that the bureau will never stop working to achieve justice for the victims of predators like Mr. Kelley, regardless of where the crime occurs.
Additional Information
- A carnival spokesperson said the alleged incident was not reported during the cruise.
- Kelley’s 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.
- The attorney Barron thanked Assistant US Attorneys Katelyn Semales and Sean Delaney, who helped prosecute the federal case.
