A man has been arrested after diving overboard from a Royal Caribbean cruise ship because he allegedly owed the cruise line $16,000 in gambling debt.
Somebody falling overboard on a cruise ship is typically treated with the highest priority. Life rafts are deployed, other ships are put on alert, and all passengers on board a ship are told about it too.
In the case of Jey Gonzalez-Diaz, he didn’t fall off a ship by accident, but, instead, chose to jump off on purpose. Gonzalez-Diaz had jumped off Royal Caribbean’s Rhapsody of the Seas just as it was returning to the Port of San Juan in Costa Rica.
The ship had jumped into the water at around 9:15 am local time, before being taken to shore by a passerby on a jet ski. Gonzalez-Diaz was later arrested by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials and accused of attempting to avoid monetary reporting requirements when traveling into the United States.
The man jumped from the Rhapsody of the Seas cruise.
According to the criminal complaint against him, the man told authorities that he “he did not want to report the currency on his possession because he thought he was going to be taxed duties for bring in the currency.”
However, following a further investigation, it was alleged that he owed Royal Caribbean $16,710.24. This wasn’t a hefty room service bill either.
The debt was “almost exclusively associated to Casino and Gaming expenses,” the complaint said, with the cruise line noted he was actually booked onto the ship under a different name.
Homeland SecurityThe man was rescued by a passerby.
The incident has also made waves on social media, with users questioning his thought process. “He just continues to make bad decisions…now he has a rescue bill to add to his debt!?” one said. “Did he actually think that was gonna work?” another added.
Gonzalez-Diaz has since been released on bail by officials. As per CBS, if convicted, he could face a fine up to $250,000 or a maximum five-year prison sentence, or both.
