Current:Home > reviewsWatch: TSA agents in Miami appear to steal passenger items; what they're accused of taking -Elevate Money Guide
Watch: TSA agents in Miami appear to steal passenger items; what they're accused of taking
Charles Langston View
Date:2025-04-09 14:29:16
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! (68388)
Related
- 2025 'Doomsday Clock': This is how close we are to self
- Radio Host Jeffrey Vandergrift Found Dead One Month After Going Missing
- VPR's Raquel Leviss Denies Tom Schwartz Hookup Was a “Cover Up” for Tom Sandoval Affair
- How facial recognition allowed the Chinese government to target minority groups
- Don't let hackers fool you with a 'scam
- Bankman-Fried is arrested as feds charge massive fraud at FTX crypto exchange
- Evidence proves bear captured over killing of Italian jogger is innocent, activists say
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says we don't attack Russian territory, we liberate our own legitimate territory
- NFL Week 15 picks straight up and against spread: Bills, Lions put No. 1 seed hopes on line
- TikTok's Taylor Frankie Paul Shares Update on Her Mental Health Journey After Arrest
Ranking
- 'Survivor' 47 finale, part one recap: 2 players were sent home. Who's left in the game?
- VPR's Raquel Leviss Denies Tom Schwartz Hookup Was a “Cover Up” for Tom Sandoval Affair
- Every Bombshell Moment of Netflix's Waco: American Apocalypse
- From Scientific Exile To Gene Editing Pioneer
- Arkansas State Police probe death of woman found after officer
- A Definitive Ranking of the Most Dramatic Real Housewives Trips Ever
- Beyoncé dances with giant robot arms on opening night of Renaissance World Tour
- Citing security concerns, Canada bans TikTok on government devices
Recommendation
Questlove charts 50 years of SNL musical hits (and misses)
'Wild Hearts' Review: Monster hunting under construction
Researchers watch and worry as balloons are blasted from the sky
Multiple people killed amid new fighting in Israel and Palestinian territories as Egypt pushes truce
From family road trips to travel woes: Americans are navigating skyrocketing holiday costs
'Wild Hearts' Review: Monster hunting under construction
'Company of Heroes 3' deserves a spot in any war game fan's library
You'll Love the To All the Boys I've Loved Before Spinoff XO, Kitty in This First Look