Poker Writer
A man jumped off a Royal Caribbean cruise ship near the port of San Juan, Puerto Rico, to allegedly avoid paying more than $16,000 in gambling debt owed to the cruise line.
Jey Gonzalez-Diaz started his cruise on Rhapsody of the Seas at the port of San Juan on August 31st. The cruise returned to Barbados after a week and a half voyage. As the ship disembarked, Gonzalez-Diaz jumped into the water while the vessel underwent U.S. Customs and Border Inspection. He was then brought to shore by a passerby on a jet ski. Images of him being picked up were captured by surveillance video.
When he was brought ashore, he was found to have $14,600 in cash on him as well as five different IDs. He spoke to officers in Spanish. He apparently did not want to report the money he had in his possession because he believed he was going to be taxed on it. However, it later emerged that he was allegedly trying to avoid settling up with the onboard casino.
Royal Caribbean’s website explains the array of games available at the “Casino Royale” aboard its ships:
In Casino Royale, guests will find their favorite slot machines, video poker and entertainment games. We offer all the popular table games such as Blackjack, Roulette, Craps, Baccarat, Three Card Poker and Ultimate Texas Hold’em, as well as hand dealt Texas Hold’em games. Game variety and slot themes may differ on each vessel.
Suspect Owed Nearly $17K Due to Gambling
Gonzalez-Diaz was arrested and charged with a federal crime. The criminal complaint claims that the man owed Royal Caribbean $16,710.24 in debts, almost entirely related to casino and gambling expenses.
The man arrested showed some defiance to Homeland Security investigators after his arrest, according to court filings. He was asked for his full name, since there were conflicting names throughout his multiple IDs. He replied:
If you guys were good at your job, you would know that
Gonzalez-Diaz could face a fine of up to $250,000, a five-year prison sentence, or potentially both. Any more details about the man, his age, nationality or background were not released.
