Current:Home > ContactWatch: TSA agents in Miami appear to steal passenger items; what they're accused of taking -VitalWealth Strategies
Watch: TSA agents in Miami appear to steal passenger items; what they're accused of taking
View
Date:2025-04-24 21:06:01
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! (6)
Related
- Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
- Bob Barker to be honored with hour-long CBS special following The Price is Right legend's death
- Yankees' Jasson Dominguez homers off Astros' Justin Verlander in first career at-bat
- What Jalen Milroe earning starting QB job for season opener means for Alabama football
- The 'Rebel Ridge' trailer is here: Get an exclusive first look at Netflix movie
- Texas A&M freshman WR Micah Tease suspended indefinitely after drug arrest
- Workers are finally seeing real wage gains, but millions still struggle to pay the bills
- Lionel Messi, Inter Miami face Los Angeles FC in MLS game: How to watch
- Sonya Massey's family keeps eyes on 'full justice' one month after shooting
- Rudy Giuliani pleads not guilty to charges in Georgia election case
Ranking
- House passes bill to add 66 new federal judgeships, but prospects murky after Biden veto threat
- Despite prohibition, would-be buyers trying to snap up land burned in Maui wildfires
- Students criticize the University of North Carolina’s response to an active shooter emergency
- Adam Driver slams major studios amid strike at Venice Film Festival 'Ferrari' premiere
- Big Lots store closures could exceed 300 nationwide, discount chain reveals in filing
- Businessman Mohamed Al-Fayed, Father of Princess Diana's Partner Dodi Fayed, Dead at 94
- Why Wishbone Kitchen TikToker Meredith Hayden Is Stepping Away From Being a Private Chef
- Trader Joe's keeps issuing recalls. Rocks, insects, metal in our food. Is it time to worry?
Recommendation
Can Bill Belichick turn North Carolina into a winner? At 72, he's chasing one last high
What is professional listening? Why people are paying for someone to hear them out.
Where is Buc-ee's expanding next? A look at the popular travel center chain's future plans
Founding father Gen. Anthony Wayne’s legacy is getting a second look at Ohio’s Wayne National Forest
US wholesale inflation accelerated in November in sign that some price pressures remain elevated
Miranda Kerr Is Pregnant With Baby No. 4, Her 3rd With Evan Spiegel
Pakistani traders strike countrywide against high inflation and utility bills
September Surge: Career experts disagree whether hiring surge is coming in 2023's market