A cruise ship passenger faces a federal charge after he jumped overboard with thousands in cash on him over the weekend in Puerto Rico after he incurred about $16,000 in gambling losses on the high seas, federal prosecutors said.
Jey Xander Omar Gonzalez-Diaz was arrested Sunday after he jumped off Royal Caribbean’s Rhapsody of the Seas when it docked in San Juan, according to a criminal complaint by Homeland Security Investigations special agent Gabriel Santiago.
He has been charged with failing to report the transport of monetary instruments over $10,000 from outside the United States.
The complaint does not explicitly link Gonzalez-Diaz's decision to jump overboard with his alleged debt.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's Office in San Juan on Thursday declined to disclose whether Gonzalez-Diaz’s leap was tied to gambling or explain why authorities cited that fact in the complaint.
Gonzalez-Diaz was fished out of the water by passersby on jet skis and taken to shore, where Customs and Border Protection officers found $14,600 cash on him, the complaint said.
The criminal complaint alleges Gonzalez-Diaz owed Royal Caribbean $16,710.24 in debts that were "almost exclusively associated with Casino and Gaming expenses."
When Gonzalez-Diaz was asked to explain the jump, he told investigators in Spanish that “he did not want to report the currency in his possession because he thought he was going to be taxed on the duties for bringing in the currency,” according to the complaint.
A Royal Caribbean Group spokesperson declined comment, saying that "as this is an ongoing investigation, we are working with authorities and don’t have any more information to share.”
A lawyer for Gonzalez-Diaz couldn't immediately be reached for comment on Wednesday.
