Four cruise ship guests were arrested at PortMiami earlier this month for attempted credit card fraud during their Bahamas cruise.
They were detained when disembarking and initially booked into the Miami-Dade jail.
Three men and one woman are reportedly accused of using fraudulent credit cards to “cash large amounts of money on board” in the MSC Magnifica cruise ship casino.
Ship security raised suspicions and contacted U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Further checks confirmed fraudulent credit card use for their cruise booking.
Four Guests Attempted Large Cash Advances on Fraudulent Cards
The group reportedly had attempted to gain cash for use in the casino. The suspects were Michael F. Emmanuel, Tyrisha Delgado, Quentin Marcellus Tuck, all in their 30s, and Devin Jones, 28. They are facing various fraud and identity theft charges.
Before their return to Miami, CBP officers notified their Bahamas colleagues not to allow them to go ashore in Nassau.
The four-day cruise, which departed Miami on August 19, included calls at MSC Cruises’ Ocean Cay, a private island in the Bahamas and Nassau.
MSC Magnifica’s Atlantic City Casino houses slot machines, roulette, and blackjack tables. Three credit cards were registered in the casino but were declined because of suspected fraud.
The suspects’ phones were later searched, and “numerous amounts of personally identifiable information” were found by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers, leading to suspicion of an organized scheme to defraud.
All four pleaded not guilty, and each bond was $2,500. A court hearing is scheduled for September 23.
They will answer charges of involvement in an organized scheme to defraud, grand theft, and fraudulent use of credit cards. Emmanuel, Delgado, and Jones face additional charges for fraudulent identity use.
Other Criminals at Sea
This is the latest in a string of credit card fraud schemes on cruise ships. Last fall, four people were arrested for credit card fraud on the Carnival Celebration.
Last March, a Royal Caribbean passenger was arrested for racking up $22,000 on credit cards belonging to someone else.
