Cruise guest evades casino debt by jumping overboard
A cruise ship guest has been charged after fleeing a cruise ship by jumping overboard in a bid to avoid paying a large casino debt.
Guest Jey Gonzalez-Diaz jumped off Royal Caribbean ship Rhapsody of the Seas as it docked in Puerto Rico at the end of a week-long cruise.
He was picked up by a passing jet skier and taken ashore.
US Customs and Border Protection officers later tracked him down in San Juan, Puerto Rico and arrested him.
Further investigations found he owed more than $16,000 to the cruise line.
This was ‘almost exclusively associated to casino and gaming expenses,’ the federal complaint said.
He has been charged with attempting to avoid monetary reporting at a US customs entry point.
If convicted he could face a fine of $250,000 fine and up to five years in prison.
He later posted bail.
Royal Caribbean hasn’t publicly responded to the incident.
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
France prepares for a massive strike across all transports on September 18
Turkish tourism stalls due to soaring prices for accommodation and food
CCS Insight: eSIMs ready to take the travel world by storm
Germany new European Entry/Exit System limited to a single airport on October 12, 2025
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt