A video clip appears to have caught the moment Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents allegedly stole from passengers making their way through security at Miami International Airport.
The agents are accused of going through people’s bags to find money stowed inside, NBC Miami reported Tuesday, adding the agents were arrested in July.
“Josue Gonzalez and Labarrius Williams are facing grand theft charges. A third TSA agent was initially arrested but had her charges dropped,” the outlet said.
Images show the three agents involved in the case:
(September 14, 2023) Miami, Florida – TSA agents were caught on video stealing money from passengers' luggage at a security checkpoint — and now both are under arrest!!
The sticky-fingered suspects, Labarrius Williams and Josue Gonzalez, were on duty scoping out bags being… pic.twitter.com/GrShpUJlLk
— 🅱🅸 🅾🅵 🅲🅾🅽🅴 (@TheSDPadresFan) September 14, 2023
Arrest documents say officials opened an investigation after reports of thefts at one of the airport’s security checkpoints.
Video footage shows the male agents checking bags passengers placed on the conveyor belt to be screened:
At one point, one of the men appears to reach into a small bag, pulling out a wallet sitting in one of the grey bins.
He moves with the same bin as it goes along the conveyor belt, shoves it into the screening machine, and then places his hand into his pocket.
The WPLG video identified the agents involved and said, “Investigators say they worked together to steal from passengers during the screening process.”
A woman who spoke to the outlet after learning of the alleged thefts noted, “It’s your job to make sure that everything that goes in, that goes through security, is safe. And it’s not for your taking.”
According to the NBC report, Gonzalez is required to attend and complete a state program to have the charges against him dropped.
“For the next six months, Gonzalez must pay $700 to the two victims involved, and he must do 25 hours of community service and give up his airport security credentials,” the outlet said, adding Williams was not allowed to enter the program, so his case will go to trial.
The men are accused of stealing hundreds of dollars from travelers, and they have pleaded not guilty in the case.
In March, Sebastian Joseph-Day, a defensive lineman for the Los Angeles Chargers, accused a TSA agent of sexually assaulting him while at an airport in California, calling it “extremely unnecessary and dehumanizing,” according to Breitbart News.
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