A lawful permanent resident from the Philippines, Enrico Ronquillo, was sentenced to more than four years in prison after using a stolen identity to board an Alaska-bound cruise in Seattle in May 2025 and to withdraw money at the ship’s casino.
When a passenger stepped onto an Alaska-bound cruise in Seattle, the plan wasn’t just to travel. It was to travel under someone else’s identity.
Enrico Ronquillo. 38. a Philippine national and lawful permanent resident of the U.S. was sentenced to more than four years in prison after using stolen personal information to board the ship. according to a June 18 release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Alaska. The boarding took place in May 2025.
Authorities said Ronquillo posed as an American citizen, using another person’s name, address, and date of birth to get onboard.
The ship was later identified as Princess Cruises’ Discovery Princess. After boarding, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer found seemingly fraudulent birth certificates and a driver’s license in Ronquillo’s backpack, including information belonging to a known identity theft victim.
The discovery didn’t stop at paperwork. The release said Ronquillo was also carrying a large amount of cash in his pockets and in his backpack. It was later determined that he fraudulently used another individual’s credit card information to obtain money while at the ship’s casino.
Ronquillo pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated identity theft and one count of false impersonation of a U.S. citizen.
The sentence included more than prison time: he was ordered to serve a year on supervised release, pay restitution of more than $25,000, and will be subject to deportation proceedings, the release said.
In court. the government framed the case as an example of how identity theft can move beyond a digital crime and into real-world access—then turn into financial gain on vacationers’ time. “Ronquillo knowingly used stolen identities and personal information of innocent U.S. citizens to gain passage on a cruise ship and enrich himself at its casino,” said Michael J. Heyman, U.S. Attorney for the District of Alaska. “My office remains committed to protecting U.S. citizens from those who exploit them for personal gain. Identity theft and impersonating a U.S. citizen carry real consequences, including time behind bars.”.
An attorney for Ronquillo had previously declined to comment on the charges and did not immediately respond to an additional inquiry about the sentencing. Princess did not immediately respond to a separate request for comment.
The case leaves the same uneasy question in its wake: identity theft isn’t only about stealing information—it can be used as a key. In this instance, that key got a person onto a cruise, into a casino, and eventually into federal prison.
Enrico Ronquillo aggravated identity theft false impersonation of a U.S. citizen Discovery Princess Princess Cruises Seattle cruise passenger U.S. Customs and Border Protection identity theft supervised release restitution deportation proceedings