Cruise Passenger Charged After Jumping Overboard With $14,600 Cash

Jey Gonzalez-Diaz faces federal charges after leaping from Royal Caribbean’s Rhapsody of the Seas into San Juan harbor Sunday morning while carrying $14,600 in unreported cash. The passenger had accumulated $16,710.24 in gambling debts aboard the cruise ship. Jet skiers rescued Gonzalez-Diaz from the water before US Customs and Border Protection agents found him near the Puerto Rico Capitol Building. Officers discovered he was carrying two phones and five IDs along with the cash. When asked for his full name, Gonzalez-Diaz told investigators, “If you guys were good at your job, you would know that.” He explained he avoided reporting the currency because “he thought he was going to be taxed duties for bring in the currency.” Gonzalez-Diaz was charged with failing to report monetary instruments exceeding $10,000, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. (Story URL)