Two Carnival cruisers were arrested at PortMiami on suspicion of operating an extensive retail fraud scheme targeting Winn-Dixie stores.
Rogerio da Cunha Fernandes, 45, and Aida Parada la Paz, 43, were arrested on Monday, August 18, 2025, after disembarking their Carnival cruise ship in Miami, Florida.
A third suspect, Beatriz Paz-Roca, 66, was detained a few hours later outside a Winn-Dixie store in Doral, Florida, where she fraudulently bought a $150 Amazon gift card.
Investigators alleged that the trio carried out a $30,000 retail fraud scheme, with Cunha Fernandes and Parada la Paz collectively racking up $18,000 from the scheme and Paz-Roca receiving another $12,000.
According to investigators, the trio would purchase gift cards for various retailers using an "altered" Bolivian bank card. The faulty card would cause issues with Winn-Dixie's payment processing system. In total, there were over 230 fraudulent transactions.
Cunha Fernandes and Parada la Paz used the fraudulent gift cards to pay for their Carnival cruise aboard Carnival Sunrise. They booked the cruise on July 26 using the gift cards they had purchased at Winn-Dixie the previous day.
(Pictured: Cunha Fernandes [left], Parada la Paz [middle], and Paz-Roca [right])
U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents conducted a border search when Carnival Sunrise docked at PortMiami on Aug. 18. They found a bank card on Cunha Fernandes, as well as other fraudulently purchased gift cards on him and Parada la Paz.
The trio lives together at a home outside Miami's Allapattah neighborhood in unincorporated Miami-Dade County. However, the arrest reports don't reveal how or if they're related.
Cunha Fernandes of Brazil and La Paz of Bolivia were held on a $10,000 bond and an immigration hold. Paz-Roca, who is also from Bolivia, was also held on a $10,000 bond but wasn't subject to an immigration hold.
All three were being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center in Miami-Dade County.
Elizabeth Wright
Elizabeth graduated from New York University's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute with her M.A. in Journalism in May 2023. Growing up, she traveled frequently with her family and fell in love with cruising after sailing on the Oasis of the Seas during her freshman year of high school. Having sailed on over 30 cruises across different lines, including Royal Caribbean, Carnival, MSC, Margaritaville at Sea, and Princess, she loves sharing her insight and expertise on all things cruising!
