Airline employees charged with cash smuggling, evading airport security

BOSTON — Five commercial airline employees were charged Thursday after an undercover operation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) revealed that they used their airport security clearances to secretly smuggle hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash past security checkpoints.

According to the charging documents, Rupert Crossley, 26, of Lynn, and Anthony Trotman, 24, of Boston, have agreed to plead guilty. Alvin Leacock, 28, of Hollywood, Florida, Eric Vick, 24, of Mattapan, and Dino Dunkley, 31, of Boston, were indicted by a federal grand jury.

Crossley, Leacock, Vick and Trotman all worked as JetBlue Airways ground operations crew, and Dunkley worked as a Delta Air Lines customer service ramp agent. Each of the individuals were charged with money laundering and conspiracy to defraud the United States and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), by entering Boston's Logan International Airport with the intent to evade security procedures, and with the intent to commit a felony in a secure airport area.

According to the charging documents, each defendant used his individual airport security clearance to circumvent TSA security checkpoints and smuggle large amounts of cash from non-secure airport areas such as curbside passenger drop-off/pick-up or restrooms near baggage claim to secure areas of the airport, such as passenger departure gates and in some instances, aboard commercial airline flights. In return, each defendant received a cash payment from a cooperating witness involved in the investigation. It is alleged that nine money laundering transactions were completed, which involved approximately $417,000 in cash the defendants believed to be drug proceeds.

"Today's indictment reflects the outstanding and meticulous work of our special agents and the full cooperation of JetBlue Airways Corporate Security and Delta Airlines," said Bruce Foucart, special agent in charge of HSI Boston. "We cannot and will not allow those entrusted with special access to our airports to violate that trust and put the public at risk."

The most significant statutes charged provides a statutory sentence of no greater than 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. Sentences are imposed by a federal district judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.