THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2005

DA BROWN: TSA SCREENER AT JFK AIRPORT CHARGED WITH STEALING $80,000 IN CASH FROM PASSENGER’S SUITCASE EN ROUTE TO PAKISTAN

Faces Up to 15 Years In Prison

Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown, joined by Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Superintendent of Police Samuel J. Plumeri, Jr., announced today that a Transportation Security Administration agent assigned to John F. Kennedy International Airport has been charged with stealing $80,000 in cash from a suitcase that had been checked and bound for Pakistan. The baggage had been placed for inspection in a secure screening area.

District Attorney Brown said, “The defendant is accused of betraying his oath to protect our nation’s air transportation system and the trust of the thousands of dedicated TSA agents who faithfully carry out their responsibilities each day. It is particularly troubling that an individual responsible for ensuring the safety and security of our nation’s airlines and protecting us from terrorism would allegedly engage in such egregious conduct.”

PAPD Superintendent of Police Plumeri said, "Following a Port Authority Police investigation it was determined that this individual willfully and unlawfully stole money from an unsuspecting passenger at a federal screening checkpoint. The Port Authority Police Department is committed to working cooperatively with the Queens District Attorney's Office and the Transportation Security Administration to prevent crimes at the airports."

The District Attorney identified the defendant as Frank Ulerio Jr., 23, of 7049 66th Place in Glendale, Queens, a TSA screener assigned to JFK Airport. The defendant, who is being held pending arraignment in Queens Criminal Court, has been charged with Grand Larceny in the Second Degree and Criminal Possession of Stolen Property in the Third Degree. If convicted, he faces up to 15 years in prison.

The District Attorney said that it is charged that the defendant was on duty on October 7, 2005 at about 7:30 p.m. in the Pakistani International Airlines Terminal 4 departures screening area at JFK Airport. It is alleged while inspecting checked luggage, the defendant stole $80,000 in cash from a suitcase belonging to a 45-year-old airline passenger from Astoria, Queens, who was boarding a flight to Pakistan. When confronted, with the theft, the defendant allegedly admitted that he stole $60,000 from the passenger’s bag and that he had used a portion of the money to pay off a gambling debt. Officers recovered $18,000 in cash from the defendant at the time of his arrest.

District Attorney Brown said that the defendant was arrested yesterday while on duty by PAPD police officers at JFK Airport Building 76. The arrest was the result of an investigation initiated when the victim, having disembarked from his flight in Pakistan, discovered his money missing from his luggage and reported the theft to the PAPD.

According to the Transportation Security Administration, TSA agents are authorized to open and search luggage for contraband, explosives, hazardous materials and other banned items and to place inside the luggage a notice of inspection form advising the passenger that the bag had been opened and inspected. The Transportation Security Administration was created by legislation on November 19, 2001 in response to air safety and security concerns stemming from the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

The investigation was conducted by Port Authority Police Department Police Officer Adil Almontaser assisted by Detective Frank Jilling and under supervision of Sergeant Boris Perdomo and Lieutenant William Hanley and Inspector John Kassimatis and the overall supervision of Superintendent of Police Samuel J. Plumeri, Jr.

Assistant District Attorney Carmencita N. Gutierrez, Deputy Bureau Chief, of the District Attorney’s Integrity Bureau is prosecuting the case under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney James M. Liander, Bureau Chief, and the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney for Investigations Peter A. Crusco and Deputy Executive Assistant District Attorney for Investigations Linda M. Cantoni.

It should be noted that criminal complaints are merely accusations and that defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.