3 TSA officers accused of stealing from travelers at Miami airport

MIAMI — Three Transportation Security Administration officers are accused of stealing from passengers during security screenings at a Miami airport, authorities said.

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According to arrest affidavits, Elizabeth Fuster 22; Labarrius Williams, 33; and Josue Gonzalez, 20, were arrested Thursday on charges of organized schemes to defraud, WFOR-TV reported.

Investigators alleged that the three TSA officers, who were working at Miami International Airport, teamed up to steal from the purses and bags of passengers during screenings on June 29, according to WSVN-TV.

According to arrest reports, authorities began investigating thefts at the airport’s Security Checkpoint E, WTVJ reported. Detectives said they viewed surveillance video that showed the three officers allegedly distracting passengers as they were being screened so they could take items from their belongings, according to the television station.

One video clip showed the three allegedly remove $600 from a passenger’s wallet, WFOR reported. They were also seen in several other filmed incidents, in which they allegedly conspired to commit more thefts, according to the television station.

After a formal interview at TSA’s command center, Fuster and Gonzalez waived their rights and provided written statements confessing to the thefts, WFOR reported. Williams did not waive his right and refused to speak to TSA officials.

“The Transportation Security Administration holds its Transportation Security Officers (TSOs) to the highest professional and ethical standards and has no tolerance for misconduct in the workplace,” a TSA spokesperson said in a statement Friday. “We actively and aggressively investigated these allegations of misconduct and presented our findings to MDPD, and are working closely with them. Any employee who fails to meet our fundamental ethical standards is held accountable.”

All three were arrested and booked into the Turner Guildford Knight Detention Center in Miami without incident, WTVJ reported.

They have since bonded out of jail, online records show.