Authorities said two Miami residents received nearly $45,000 for Royal Caribbean trips the victims had not booked.
Two Miami residents allegedly defrauded friends and family members of nearly $45,000 in unbooked Royal Caribbean cruises and other luxury goods.
Antonio Diaz, 65, and his wife Maria Blasco Diaz, 64, were arrested on April 7 and charged with stealing a total of $200,259.85, according to an arrest report from the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office.
One of the victims asked Blasco Diaz for his opinion on cruises, as he often went on cruises. Blasco Diaz allegedly told her that she could get the discount through a friend who claimed to work for Royal Caribbean.
“Mr. Diaz provided cruise trips, drink packages, room upgrades, hotel stays, transportation, and travel insurance,” the arrest report states. “The victim and his family paid Mr. and Mrs. Diaz a total of $44,910 through Zell, checks, and cash. All checks were cashed by Mr. Diaz, and Zell’s payments were transferred to Mr. Diaz.”
The cruise was scheduled to set sail on July 9, 2023, aboard the cruise line’s Odyssey of the Seas. Authorities said Blasco Diaz had not provided the victim with travel documents by late June and gave multiple excuses, claiming that her friend had been fired from the cruise line.
She provided a check for partial repayment with a promise to repay the balance using a home equity line of credit, according to an affidavit in the case. However, the affidavit states that those checks were “later determined to have been drawn from a newly opened account with insufficient funds.”
When the victim contacted Royal Caribbean, the cruise line said the reservation number was valid but had not been assigned to her or her family. Blasco-Diaz and Diaz failed to make further promises to repay the funds, according to the arrest report.
The cruise line’s parent company, Royal Caribbean Group, and an attorney listed on behalf of the couple did not respond to requests for comment.
The pair also allegedly received deposits for 16 Rolex watches and a Patek Philippe watch from 2022 for nearly $139,000, and the victims claimed they would receive a 50% discount from Diaz, who worked at a jewelry store, and a pair of “discounted” diamond earrings for $3,000. Nothing was delivered.
Other jewelry purchased by the victim’s family totaled more than $13,400. According to the arrest report, Antonio Diaz exercised his right to legal counsel and Blasco Diaz admitted to the crime and said her husband had “nothing to do with it.”
Both defendants later pleaded not guilty.
This article has been updated to update the headline.
Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. Please contact us at ndiller@usatoday.com.
