4 Flight Attendants Arrested in Miami Airport After Bringing in Thousands of Dollars in Cash
Four flight attendants were arrested this week after bringing in more than $20,000 in cash to the United States.
Carlos Alberto Munoz-Moyano, 40, Maria Isabel Wilson-Ossandon, 48, Miaria Delpilar Roman-Strick, 55, and Maria Beatriz Pasten-Cuzmar, 55, were charged with money laundering and unauthorized transmitting of money when they were arrested on Tuesday, NBC News reported on Wednesday, citing a criminal complaint. The Miami-Dade Police Department did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Together, the four flight attendants allegedly brought in $22,671 in U.S. currency, NBC 6 Miami reported.
Munoz-Moyano was traveling on an American Airlines flight from Chile, NBC Miami reported, and was arrested after his routine check at customs.
He initially told the Customs and Border Patrol agent that he had $100 on him, but later changed his answer to declare $9,000, according to a criminal complaint obtained by the outlet. As NBC 6 Miami reporter Carlos Suarez pointed out, travelers are only required to declare $10,000 or more.
Munoz-Moyano’s changed answer inspired CBP agents to question other flight attendants, and ultimately discovered that Roman-Strick was carrying $7,300 and Wilson-Ossandon was carrying $6,371.
NBC Miami reported that the complaint did not say whether or not Pasten-Cuzmar was carrying any cash, “only that she was also checked in the Customs area.”
The four flight attendants were arrested early Tuesday morning and have been placed on immigration holds, the outlet reported.
“Prosecutors said the flight attendants conspired to bring the money into the U.S. and deliver it to an unknown person, and they would receive a percentage of the money in return,” NBC Miami reported.
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NBC News said that the criminal complaint redacted details of the four admitting to “something,” and that the report said none of them held money transmitter licenses.
Lawyers for Munoz-Moyano, Wilson-Ossandon, Roman-Strick and Pasten-Cuzmar could not immediately be found.
Footage from CNN and NBC Miami shows some of the four in bond court listening to the judge with translation headphones.
In a statement to PEOPLE on Wednesday, American Airlines said, “We take this matter seriously and are cooperating with law enforcement throughout their investigation.”
