Man stole over $10,000 during an American Airlines flight destined to Miami, feds say
A man is accused of stealing more than $10,000 from other passengers during an American Airlines flight from Argentina to Miami this week — and authorities say he was caught thanks to the keen eyes of the crew.
Diego Sebastian Radio was arrested Tuesday on one count of theft of personal property valued at greater than $1,000 within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States, federal court records show. The 29-year-old man is being held on a $250,000 bond at the Federal Detention Center in Miami as of Thursday evening.
The arrest was first reported by WPLG Local 10 News.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers responded to Miami International Airport on Tuesday about a man aboard American Airlines flight 900 from Buenos Aires, Argentina, who was believed to have stolen cash and credit cards from two passengers in international waters, Homeland Security Investigations special agent Alexander Sorokin said in Radio’s criminal complaint filed Wednesday.
A flight attendant had observed Radio repeatedly walking up and down the airplane aisle, and sitting near the victims in a seat that wasn’t assigned to him, Sorokin said. After the attendant told one of the passengers to check her belongings, she noticed that about $10,022 and a small amount of Argentine pesos were missing from her wallet, he said.
When another passenger overheard their conversation, she also inspected her belongings, discovering that her wallet had been unzipped. The woman told CBP agents that she was missing two credit cards, less than $1,000 and some Argentine pesos, Sorokin stated.
The women’s names weren’t released by authorities.
After disembarking, Sorokin said, the CBP officers patted down Radio and inspected his belongings, finding $10,732 and a few Argentine pesos, which approximately matched the amounts that were reported missing by the passengers. CBP officers also found two credit cards belonging to one of the passengers in his jacket pocket, he added.
In a recorded interview, Radio confessed to have stolen the cash and the credit cards, according to Sorokin.
Attorney information for Radio wasn’t immediately available. His arraignment is set for 10 a.m. July 20 in Miami, court records show.
