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Illinois Man Faces Up to Five Years in Prison Over Disney Cruise Line Bomb Threat
A 20-year-old Illinois man has been indicted on a federal charge after authorities say he made a bomb threat involving a Disney Cruise Line ship in December 2025. Daquan Smith of Chicago has been charged with interstate transmission of a threat and could face up to five years in federal prison if convicted. Smith has pleaded not guilty.
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According to court records, the incident began after Smith allegedly received repeated calls appearing to come from a Disney Cruise Line phone number. Authorities say Smith called the number back from Chicago and made a threat claiming there was a bomb aboard a Disney cruise ship that had departed the Bahamas two days earlier. Investigators were able to trace the call back to Smith’s phone, and he later spoke with the FBI along with his mother.
The threat was reportedly not communicated to authorities on the day the call was made, and there were no reported evacuations of a Disney Cruise Line ship connected to the incident. Smith was arrested in Illinois in July and later released on bond. His defense has argued that he had no intention of harming Disney Cruise Line or its passengers and is also challenging an FBI interview that was not recorded and was allegedly conducted without Smith being read his Miranda rights.
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The case is currently moving through federal court in Orlando, although Smith’s attorneys have sought to have it moved to Illinois because the alleged call originated in Chicago. His next hearing is scheduled for October 13, 2026. An indictment is a formal accusation and Smith is presumed innocent unless proven guilty. Disney Cruise Line has not publicly commented on the case.
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