ITS NOT VERY OFTEN THAT I SHARE A MAINSTREAM NEWS ITEM, BUT THIS NEEDS TO BE SEEN AND SHARED WIDELY BY ANYONE WHO EVER FLIES THE 'FRIENDLY' SKIES...
Watch: TSA agents in Miami appear to steal passenger items; what they're accused of taking
NATHAN DILLER AND KINSEY CROWLEY, USA TODAY
September 15, 2023 at 12:57 PM
New surveillance video appears to show officers with the Transportation Security Administration stealing items from passengers' bags at Miami International Airport.
Labarrius Williams, 33, Josue Gonzalez, 20, and Elizabeth Fuster, 22 were arrested on July 6 and charged with organized schemes to defraud. Fuster's charges have since been dropped, while Gonzalez and Williams also were charged with grand theft.
Court records show that Gonzalez has been accepted into a deferred prosecution program and charges against him will be dropped if he meets the conditions of the program.
Williams has pleaded not guilty and is set for a trial hearing on Oct. 23.
The new video, obtained by USA TODAY on Friday, appears to show just how the alleged scheme worked.
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Video shows sleight of hand with wallet
As passenger belongings sit in bins on a conveyor belt, Gonzalez and Williams appear to pocket several items, including cash, according to the video, released by the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office.
One clip shows Gonzalez sliding his hand into a purse, grabbing something and moving it behind a larger object in the bin, apparently out of view of passengers. Gonzalez appears to remove cash from what looks like a wallet.
The men took as much as $600 from a wallet, according to the arrest affidavit, which says that Gonzalez, Williams and Fuster conspired to steal on multiple other occasions.
Gonzalez and Fuster admitted to stealing $1,000 per day
In a formal interview at TSA Command Center, Gonzalez and Fuster waived their right to remain silent and gave written statements confessing to being involved in various thefts, according to arrest affidavits. They admitted to stealing an average of about $1,000 a day while they worked together.
Williams did not waive his rights and refused to speak with investigators, the affidavits said.
None of their attorneys immediately responded to messages seeking comment from USA TODAY on Friday.
“The Transportation Security Administration holds its Transportation Security Officers to the highest professional and ethical standards and has no tolerance for misconduct in the workplace,” the TSA told USA TODAY in an emailed statement. “We actively and aggressively investigated these allegations of misconduct and presented our findings to (the Miami-Dade Police Department), and are working closely with them. Any employee who fails to meet our fundamental ethical standards is held accountable.”
TSA removed the officers from their screening duties pending the conclusion of the investigation and administrative actions.
A Miami International Airport spokesperson declined to comment.
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Conversation145 Comments
Best
2 hours ago
My wife and I went on a 55th wedding anniversary, 14-day cruise Seattle to Alaska and return. Getting off in Seattle (9/20/2016)at the end of the trip (at Seattle TSA) my wife carried her jewelry in a small satin (zippered) bag. She had taken it out of her purse to hand-carry through TSA. They wouldn't let her do that. Made her put it back in purse. Then they demanded that she not hold up the line (so she could watch her purse as it went through the scanner. She and I both forgot to check and see if the bag was back in her purse, coming out of the scanner. (My bad). Net loss was more than $40,000. Of course, uninsured. Seattle claimed they knew nothing about any missing jewelry. [Of course, when you hire the unhirable, that's what you get - I am sure there are a few "honest ones."
JOHN
43 minutes ago
These thefts have been taking place for a long time; I have acquaintances who have experienced this situation. "Deferred prosecution" is a sham. There should be zero tolerance and immediate dismissal together with sentences for grand theft. If these thefts are not a federal crime, they ought to be. BTW, we have been forced to miss two of our flights due to TSA.
FOURFIFTYDRIVER♥
OMG I sure hope they weren't stealing womens clothes again like our Big Guy's woke official and liberal male queen icon Sam Brinton! :(
RONALD
thieves caught on video, busted. as govt employees, there's no need for leniency, at all.
BARTHOLOMEW
21 minutes ago
Outrageous! These are government employees we are supposed to be able to trust. TSA employees stealing $1,000 a day? Now, I know why sometimes I've had things come up missing from my bags. The very people entrusted with our luggage were robbing us. Agree--No leniency
AI
The agreement is already in. They aren't going to do a single day in prison or have a recorded conviction. I doubt they even lost their job.