Two TSA officers, Josue Gonzalez (20) and Labarrius Williams (33), were arrested in July on charges of theft from passengers’ luggage at Miami International Airport’s Checkpoint E. The arrests followed surveillance footage that allegedly showed the duo pilfering cash and other items from travelers’ bags while the passengers were preoccupied with their own security screenings.
Surveillance video obtained by NBC Miami shows the pair at the baggage drop-off section, working together to extract money from wallets and purses en route to the X-ray machine. “At one point, the brazen pair stood next to each other appearing to talk while Williams sneakily dug through a black bag, removing an item and leaving it in the bin until Gonzalez moved the bin on the conveyor belt and pocketed the item,” according to NBC6.
Gonzalez was also seen rummaging through a Louis Vuitton bag, leaving the item in the bin until he had the opportunity to remove it further up in line. Among the reported thefts was $600 stolen from a passenger’s wallet.
A third officer, Elizabeth Fuster (22), was also arrested in July on similar charges. The three officers were accused of partaking in an organized scheme to defraud. Fuster and Gonzalez confessed to “numerous thefts” from travelers and admitted to stealing an average of $1,000 daily while working together.
However, there has been a divergence in the legal paths for the trio. Fuster’s charges were dropped in August. Gonzalez entered a deferred prosecution program where, upon completion, his charges could be dropped. He will also have to pay $700 to identified victims, complete 25 hours of community service, and forfeit his airport credentials. Williams, however, was not accepted into the program and is set to take his case to trial in October.
Both Gonzalez and Williams have pleaded not guilty to the third-degree felony grand theft charges they face, as per Miami-Dade County court records.
