By Charlotte Owen
Copyright dailystar
A passenger sailing on a Royal Caribbean cruise threw himself overboard and hopped on a jet ski in a bid to avoid the authorities after racking up over £12k ($16,710) in gambling debts. Frivolous Jey Gonzalez-Diaz dived into the water as the Rhapsody of the Sea boat pulled into the port of San Juan on Sunday (Sept 7) at around 9:15am local time following its week-long journey, according to a criminal complaint obtained by CBS News . Someone passing by on a jet ski then helped Gonzalez-Diaz to shore. He was later tracked down by US Customs and Border Protection officers near the Puerto Rico Capitol Building and charged with a federal crime , the complaint revealed. When he was apprehended, Gonzalez-Diaz was found to be carrying two phones, five IDs and £10,790 ($14,600) in cash – roughly £1,478 ($2,000) short of the £12,349 ($16,000) debt racked up while on the ship. The debt was “almost exclusively associated to casino and gambling expenses”, the complaint said. His other identities listed him as Jeremy Diaz and Jeremy Omar Gonzalez-Diaz. When pressed for his full name, Gonzalez-Diaz told officers, “if you were good at your job, you would know that”. A person under the name Jeremy Omar Gonzalez-Diaz had previously been in federal custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Puerto Rico since January but he told investigators that was his brother, it was revealed. He told officers in Spanish that he leapt overboard because “he did not want to report the currency on his possession because he thought he was going to be taxed duties for bringing the currency”. Gonzalez-Diaz is accused of attempting to avoid monetary reporting requirements when traveling into the US and could face a fine of up to £184,740 ($250,000) or a maximum five-year prison sentence if convicted. According to a local media outlet, he was released on bail. For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletter by clicking here .
