Officers Allegedly Stealing Money from Passengers' Luggage
A video depicting two Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workers engaged in theft at Miami International Airport has recently gone viral on social media. The local media reports that these officers, identified as 20-year-old Josue Gonzalez and 33-year-old Labarrius Williams, are alleged to have stolen a minimum of $600 in cash and various items from passengers’ luggage on June 29 of this year.
The situation took a serious turn when enforcement officials initiated an investigation into claims of theft occurring at the airport checkpoint, resulting in the arrest of Gonzalez and Williams in July. A video capturing the theft in action has now emerged, revealing the officers working in tandem to pilfer money from wallets and purses as they passed through the X-ray machine. The footage shows one of the officers slipping money from a wallet into his own pocket.
TSA Agents caught on surveillance video stealing hundreds of dollars in cash from passengers’ bags at Miami airport. pic.twitter.com/LhFW9yNRNV
— Mike Sington (@MikeSington) September 13, 2023
Gonzalez and Williams, alongside Elizabeth Fuster, were arrested in July and initially charged with an organized scheme to defraud, according to Miami-Dade County jail records. They were subsequently booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Detention Center.
Shockingly, both Fuster and Gonzalez have confessed to “numerous thefts” from travelers, acknowledging that they had been stealing an average of $1,000 daily while working together. In a surprising twist, both individuals have pleaded not guilty to the third-degree felony grand theft charges they now face. Meanwhile, the charges against Elizabeth Fuster were dropped in August.
As a result of the ongoing investigation, the TSA has taken immediate action by removing these officers from screening duties. The agency has stated that they will remain suspended until the investigation concludes and any necessary administrative actions are taken.
The TSA issued a statement in response to the incident, emphasizing their commitment to maintaining the highest professional and ethical standards for Transportation Security Officers (TSOs). The statement asserts that the TSA has zero tolerance for misconduct in the workplace. Furthermore, they have actively and aggressively investigated these allegations of misconduct, sharing their findings with the Miami Dade Police Department and working closely with them to address the situation. The TSA emphasizes that any employee who fails to meet their fundamental ethical standards will be held accountable.
