Current:Home > ContactWatch: TSA agents in Miami appear to steal passenger items; what they're accused of taking -Capitatum
Watch: TSA agents in Miami appear to steal passenger items; what they're accused of taking
Poinbank View
Date:2025-04-06 02:14:46
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.
TSA firearm detections are on the rise:Here's what we saw at one of the airports with the most cases
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.
Just in case:10 things to keep in your carry-on in case of flight cancellation or delay
veryGood! (92)
Related
- Scoot flight from Singapore to Wuhan turns back after 'technical issue' detected
- Inside Clean Energy: Some EVs Now Pay for Themselves in a Year
- Scientists Say Pakistan’s Extreme Rains Were Intensified by Global Warming
- Police investigating after woman's remains found in 3 suitcases in Delray Beach
- Charges tied to China weigh on GM in Q4, but profit and revenue top expectations
- Inside Clean Energy: E-bike Sales and Sharing are Booming. But Can They Help Take Cars off the Road?
- Judge Upholds $14 Million Fine in Long-running Citizen Suit Against Exxon in Texas
- These Secrets About Grease Are the Ones That You Want
- Woman dies after Singapore family of 3 gets into accident in Taiwan
- A New Plant in Indiana Uses a Process Called ‘Pyrolysis’ to Recycle Plastic Waste. Critics Say It’s Really Just Incineration
Ranking
- Pregnant Kylie Kelce Shares Hilarious Question Her Daughter Asked Jason Kelce Amid Rising Fame
- Taking a breather: Fed holds interest rates steady in patient battle against inflation
- The Fed decides to wait and see
- Olivia Rodrigo's Celebrity Crush Confession Will Take You Back to the Glory Days
- John Galliano out at Maison Margiela, capping year of fashion designer musical chairs
- Toxic Metals Entered Soil From Pittsburgh Steel-Industry Emissions, Study Says
- A watershed moment in the west?
- Judge Upholds $14 Million Fine in Long-running Citizen Suit Against Exxon in Texas
Recommendation
Retirement planning: 3 crucial moves everyone should make before 2025
Did the 'Barbie' movie really cause a run on pink paint? Let's get the full picture
Texas Is Now the Nation’s Biggest Emitter of Toxic Substances Into Streams, Rivers and Lakes
Andrea Bocelli Weighs in on Kim Kardashian and Kourtney Kardashian's Feud
This was the average Social Security benefit in 2004, and here's what it is now
John Mayer Cryptically Shared “Please Be Kind” Message Ahead of Taylor Swift Speak Now Release
Is now the time to buy a car? High sticker prices, interest rates have many holding off
What personal financial stress can do to the economy