Surveillance footage has been released after three Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers were accused of going through travellers’ bags and allegedly stealing money from passengers at Miami International Airport.
Josue Gonzalez, 20, and Labarrius Williams, 33, are both facing grand theft charges. A third TSA officer who was also arrested back in July, Elizabeth Fuster, has had charges against her dropped.
Their arrests came after authorities launched an investigation into alleged thefts at the airport’s Security Checkpoint E. One passenger claims to have had $600 stolen from their wallet.
Detectives found surveillance video that allegedly shows the officers distracting passengers as they were being screened, so they could steal money from their baggage and other belongings, arrest reports said.
In the videos, released on Monday by the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office, two agents can be seen searching through the pocket of a black bag. When one walks away, the other agent appears to take something from the bin and put in his pocket.
Another video appears to show an agent pulling an item from a Louis Vuitton bag. Later, the same agent is seen taking the item before it gets screened.
Reports say that Gonzalez and Fuster provided written confessions. While charges against Fuster were dropped, for reasons that have not been disclosed, Gonzalez must complete a state program before charges against him are dropped.
He has been ordered to pay $700 to the two victims, do 25 hours of community service and give up his airport security credentials. However, Williams – who is said to have exercised his Fifth Amendment rights and remained silent – was denied entry into the same program and will head to trial, reports the Mail Online.
