Cruise ship passenger with $16,000 gambling debt jumps overboard

By CLAIRE FAHY

After accumulating more than $16,000 in gambling debt, a man jumped from a cruise ship after it docked in Puerto Rico over the weekend, authorities said.

The man, Jey González Díaz, leaped from Royal Caribbean’s Rhapsody of the Seas around 9:15 a.m. Sunday as guests were disembarking, according to a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Puerto Rico. He was rescued by two people, one of whom pulled him onto his personal watercraft. He was brought to shore before Customs and Border Protection officers detained him at 9:45 a.m.

The Rhapsody of the Seas has 12 decks, but it was unclear which deck González Díaz jumped from. He has been charged with attempting to avoid monetary reporting requirements.

When asked why he jumped, González Díaz told customs officers that he had not wanted to declare the currency he had on him because he didn’t want to be taxed.

But according to Royal Caribbean records cited in the complaint, González Díaz had $16,710 in debt with the cruise line, most of it in casino and gaming expenses. He had boarded the Rhapsody of the Seas in Puerto Rico on Aug. 31, authorities said.

He was found with $14,600 in cash in a backpack along with a U.S. passport, a Social Security card, a Puerto Rican birth certificate, a Tennessee state ID and a Royal Caribbean boarding card, according to the complaint. The IDs had conflicting names, raising further questions.

A spokesperson for Royal Caribbean said that the cruise line was cooperating with authorities and declined to comment further, citing the ongoing investigation.

A lawyer for González Díaz did not respond to a request for comment.