A man was arrested twice in Juneau last month for fraud, theft and attempted escape.
Enrico Ronquillo, 37, falsely impersonated a Californian citizen to board the Discovery Princess cruise ship in Seattle. State troopers arrested Ronquillo and charged him with false impersonation of a U.S. citizen, making and using a false document, and two counts of aggravated identity theft on May 14.
A spokesperson for Customs and Border Protection in Alaska says the incident is fairly uncommon and isn’t a trending problem.
Over his four days on the cruise ship, he allegedly made large cash withdrawals with a stolen credit card at the ship’s casino. Ronquillo is a citizen of the Philippines who legally lives in the U.S.
According to the affidavit, an officer with Customs and Border Protection discovered the alleged crimes after looking for people on the ship who may be committing credit card fraud.
That led officers to discover that the counterfeit documents used by Ronquillo had been used illegally before. Officers also realized that Ronquillo’s appearance did not match the photograph on the identification papers.
The officers then escorted Ronquillo off the ship for further questioning at the Customs and Border Protection office in downtown Juneau. Customs and Border Protection has had a prior history with him, according to the affidavit.
Ronquillo admitted to the scheme during questioning and said he has committed similar crimes on cruise ships before. He told officers he was working with another person in Seattle and planned to split the cash with them. According to the affidavit, he charged nearly $20,000 to a credit card.
He had also booked a flight out of the Juneau International Airport on the same day he was arrested.
Ronquillo was released on bail a few days after he was booked at Lemon Creek Correctional Center. Court documents say Ronquillo cut off his ankle monitor and attempted to flee Juneau. But the Juneau Police Department found him at the airport. Juneau Deputy Police Chief Krag Campbell says Ronquillo had made it through TSA and was waiting to board a flight before he was arrested.
He is currently being held at the Lemon Creek Correctional Facility. His next readiness hearing is on July 16.
