Watch: TSA agents in Miami appear to steal passenger items; what they're accused of taking

Nathan Diller and Kinsey Crowley, USA TODAY
·2 min read
34

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

A TSA officer slipping his hand into a purse as it goes through a checkpoint at Miami International Airport. He was charged with grand theft and organized schemes to defraud.
A TSA officer slipping his hand into a purse as it goes through a checkpoint at Miami International Airport. He was charged with grand theft and organized schemes to defraud.

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.

Still from video of TSA officers charged with grand theft released by Miami-Dade State Attorney's office.
Still from video of TSA officers charged with grand theft released by Miami-Dade State Attorney's office.

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

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Miami TSA agents appear to take passenger items, video shows