Royal Caribbean Passenger Arrested Puerto Rico Overboard $16,000 Debt

Jey Gonzalez-Diaz, a passenger aboard Royal Caribbean's Rhapsody of the Seas, allegedly jumped overboard during disembarkation in Puerto Rico to avoid paying a $16,710 gambling debt he accumulated on the cruise. Surveillance footage showed him being rescued by a jet ski and brought to shore, where U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers apprehended him near the Puerto Rico Capitol Building. Gonzalez-Diaz was found carrying $14,600 in cash, multiple phones, and five different forms of identification with inconsistent names, including the identity of his brother. He admitted in Spanish that he jumped to avoid declaring the currency, fearing taxation on bringing the money into the U.S. The cruise line billed him under the name Jeremy Diaz, and court documents noted his use of various aliases. Gonzalez-Diaz faces federal charges, including attempts to evade monetary reporting requirements, and could face up to five years in prison and fines if convicted.