A Royal Caribbean passenger jumped overboard this past weekend in an alleged attempt to dodge thousands of dollars of gambling debt.
Jey González-Díaz — who was booked on the Rhapsody of the Seas under the name Jeremy Díaz — was charged with a federal crime when he was arrested by Customs and Border Protection Sunday in Puerto Rico, People reports.
The cruise line says that Díaz owes $16,710.24 to the company, with the money “almost exclusively associated to Casino and Gaming expenses,” according to the criminal complaint filed Sunday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico and viewed by CBS News.
González-Díaz had $14,600 in cash on his person as well as two phones and five IDs when he jumped into the water during U.S. Customs and Border Protection inspection as the ship, which had traveled to Barbados, was disembarking at the Port of San Juan around 9:15 a.m. local time.
Authorities say González-Díaz was ultimately picked up by a passing jet ski.
He was arrested by 9:45 a.m. and has since been released on bail, according to Puerto Rican outlet Wapa.TV.
Wapa also reports that González-Díaz’s multiple forms of identification included one from Tennessee as well as a birth certificate for Jeremy Omar González-Díaz.
The complaint, per CBS, says that someone with the latter name has been in federal custody in Puerto Rico since January,. González-Díaz claims that man is his brother.
Though the complaint accuses Gonzalez-Diaz of trying to skip out on monetary reporting requirements for U.S. entry, it’s unclear if the federal charge is related to that or the gambling debt.
If convicted, he reportedly faces a maximum fine of $250,000 or maximum 5-year prison sentence, or both penalties.
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