Nelson Santiago-Serrano must have been quite confident with what he had going on down if he thought he could stuff an iPad in his pants and not get away with it.
The 30-year-old former Transportation Security Administration (TSA) worker at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport was accused of stealing more than $50,000 worth of electronics over the last six months. He faces two counts of grand theft for swiping electronics from passenger luggage.
He was caught red-handed after a Continental Airline employee saw him removing an Apple iPad from a luggage bag and stuffing it down his pants. Broward Sherriff’s Office found that Santiago would usually put the stolen goods up for sale online even before his shift ended. This allowed him to quickly get rid of the stolen goods for fast cash.
The devices that he has stolen and sold include laptops, GPS devices, cameras and Apple iPads.
"He had this down to a science. He'd take an item. He'd photograph it with his cell phone, post it on Craig's List and most often it was sold by the time his shift ended," said Dani Moschella of the Broward Sheriff's Office.
This incident is not the first airport and airline personnel have stolen from passengers.
Just last year, an Air France flight attendant admitted to pickpocketing thousands of pounds worth of cash and jewellery from passengers sleeping during long haul flights. Things stolen include a Cartier Ring, a diamond necklace, credit cards and traveller’s cheques.
Whenever travelling, always make sure to padlock any check-in luggage to prevent theft. During layovers, check to ensure that all expensive items are accounted for. Should anything be missing, report it to airport security at once. You never know when a personnel would be tempted to knick your things and stuff them down his pants.
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