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11h ago

Cruise Passenger Who Jumped Overboard to Evade Casino Debt Charged Over Unreported Foreign Income

Prosecutors in Puerto Rico filed a complaint alleging he failed to report more than $10,000 obtained abroad.

Royal Caribbean's Serenade of the Seas cruise ship is moored in Valparaiso, Chile, January 23, 2024. REUTERS/Rodrigo Gutierrez
El crucero Rhapsody of the Sea, de Royal Caribbean. Foto: royalcaribbean.com
Hombre salta de crucero en San Juan para evitar pagar deuda de más de $16 mil y enfrenta cargo federal. Imagen ilustrativa
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Overview

  • Authorities say he left Royal Caribbean’s Rhapsody of the Seas near San Juan during CBP inspection while owing $16,710.24 tied mostly to casino activity.
  • CBP and HSI located him minutes after a jet‑ski rider took him to shore near the Puerto Rico Capitol, where agents detained him.
  • Agents recovered $14,600 in cash, two phones and five identification documents with conflicting names and nationalities, and state records confirmed him as Jey Xander Omar González Díaz.
  • He told investigators he jumped because he did not want to report the money for fear of taxes, according to the complaint.
  • He was released on bond in federal court in San Juan, faces up to five years in prison or a $250,000 fine if convicted, and has attorney Laura I. Soto Santiago with prosecutor Antonio J. López Rivera assigned.