A passenger aboard Royal Caribbean’s Rhapsody of the Seas allegedly jumped overboard while the ship was returning to port in an apparent effort to avoid paying about $16,700 in gambling losses, U.S. authorities said.
The ship completed its voyage Sunday when it pulled into the Port of San Juan. According to a criminal complaint obtained by CBS News, the man, identified in arrest records as Jey Gonzalez‑Diaz, went over the rail and into the sea shortly after 9 a.m. local time as passengers disembarked.
Surveillance video cited in the complaint showed someone on a jet ski help the man to shore. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers later tracked him near the Puerto Rico Capitol Building and detained him. At the time of his arrest, officers say he was carrying two phones, five different identification cards and $14,600 in cash — roughly $2,000 short of the $16,710 the complaint says he owed from gambling on the cruise.
Authorities allege some of the identification listed alternate names, including Jeremy Diaz and Jeremy Omar Gonzalez‑Diaz. The complaint states that an individual with the latter name had been in federal custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Puerto Rico since January; Gonzalez‑Diaz told officers that the detained person was his brother. When asked his full name, the complaint reports, Gonzalez‑Diaz responded in English, "If you guys were good at your job, you would know that."
According to the complaint, Gonzalez‑Diaz told officers in Spanish that he jumped overboard because he did not want to report the cash in his possession, saying he believed he would be charged duties for bringing the currency into the United States. Federal law requires travelers to report when they are carrying more than $10,000 in currency or monetary instruments upon entry to the United States.
Gonzalez‑Diaz is accused of attempting to evade monetary reporting requirements while traveling into the country. If convicted, the complaint says he could face a fine of up to $250,000 or a maximum five‑year prison sentence. Local media outlet Wapa.TV reported that he was released on bail.
The incident prompted an inspection by U.S. authorities after the ship docked and has raised questions about onboard security and shipboard gambling practices. Royal Caribbean has not responded to requests for comment, according to news reports.
The Rhapsody of the Seas was on a week‑long holiday itinerary at the time of the incident, during which passengers have access to onboard casinos. Cruise lines typically bill unpaid gambling markers to passengers or pursue collection after disembarkation; the criminal complaint filed in this case frames the overboard jump as an attempt to escape such obligations while also running afoul of federal reporting rules for currency.
Federal authorities are continuing their review of the matter. The complaint and subsequent reporting emphasize that the allegations remain subject to prosecution and legal process, and that Gonzalez‑Diaz’s statements and motives are described as alleged in court filings and law enforcement reports.
Investigators say the surveillance video and the items recovered from Gonzalez‑Diaz were key to tracking him after he left the ship. The case is one of several recent instances in which passengers have been detained or investigated after leaving cruise ships, and it highlights the coordination between local authorities, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and federal prosecutors in homeland security and financial‑reporting matters.
Prosecutors will decide whether to bring formal charges based on the complaint and ongoing inquiries. Gonzalez‑Diaz’s court proceedings and any formal indictments will determine how the case proceeds through the federal system.