When most people disembark from a cruise, they wait for the gangway. But one passenger on Royal Caribbean’s Rhapsody of the Seas decided to take the express route straight overboard to avoid a hefty casino tab.

According to investigators, Jey Gonzalez-Diaz, traveling under the name Jeremy Diaz, was facing a bill of $16,710.24, largely from onboard gambling losses. As the ship docked in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on September 7, during routine U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) inspections, Gonzalez-Diaz apparently thought it was a good time to test out the ship’s “man overboard” protocols.

Instead of vanishing into the blue, he was promptly scooped up by a passing jet skier who apparently thought “rescue” was the day’s water sport.

Casino Loser With Many Names

Once back on land, CBP found Gonzalez-Diaz near the Puerto Rico Capitol Building. He was carrying $14,600 in cash, two cell phones, and a collection of five IDs.

One of those identities, Jeremy Omar Gonzalez-Diaz, was already linked to a federal detention record. Gonzalez-Diaz insisted that belonged to his brother, which, let’s just say, didn’t exactly clear things up for investigators.

His Explanation: Taxes, Not Tables

When asked why he jumped, Gonzalez-Diaz offered a unoriginal excuse: he wasn’t trying to dodge casino debt. He simply “did not want to report the currency” he had on him because he thought Uncle Sam would slap him with a tax bill. 

Possible Jackpot: Prison Time

Unfortunately for Gonzalez-Diaz, U.S. prosecutors don’t accept “I panicked and leapt off a cruise ship” as a legal defense. He’s now charged with failing to comply with monetary reporting requirements, an offense that carries up to five years in prison and a tidy $250,000 fine.

For now, he’s been released on bail, hopefully not funded with chips cashed out at the ship’s casino.