Popular gay Pride dancer arrested for possession, distribution of child pornography, victims as young as 2

A gay cruise ship dancer has been arrested in Florida and charged with possession and distribution of child sex abuse materials, according to Local10.

Jamaal Wade, 26, of Manhattan, New York, has been accused of distributing and possessing child sex abuse materials depicting victims as young as two years old. He was arrested by US Marshals in Broward County on Sunday.

Wade also allegedly admitted in online chats to molesting a boy while on tour with a performing group, court documents show.





In October, federal agents seized the phone of a user on the direct messaging app Telegram, which launched the investigation.

Court documents state that Wade had sent that user child sex abuse material. The victims were as young as the age of two. The user also stated that he viewed child sex abuse material at Wade's apartment with the defendant.

According to the message exchange, Wade informed that user of a prior arrest in Detroit for conduct while on tour, court documents show.

Arrest records show that Wade was arrested by Detroit police on Feb. 18, 2020, for allegedly molesting an 11-year-old boy. He reportedly touched the minor victim's penis. It's unclear if he was convicted of the crime.



An undercover FBI agent began chatting with Wade via the messaging app to further the investigation. Wade allegedly sent multiple videos of boys as young as four being raped or sexually abused, according to court documents.

On March 22, Wade told the FBI agent that he had "brought his collection" of child pornography with him on board the ship.

Wade has been charged with one count of receipt and distribution of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. The charges could land him up to 40 years in prison if convicted.

Jamaal Wade's primary residence is in Washington Heights, Manhattan, New York. He is being held in the Paul Rein Detention Facility in Pompano Beach, Florida while awaiting extradition to New York.



According to an online work profile, Wade has worked for both Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Lines. It's unclear which cruise line he worked for when he was arrested, and whether or not he was arrested on the ship or on shore.

Wade's social media accounts show that he is an active member of the LGBTQ community and has attended and performed at Pride events. He also appeared in an episode of HBO's "We're Here," which is a reality-style show about Drag Queens and LGBTQ Pride.