Delta baggage handler, 40, is arrested by FBI after he called in sick for two days following theft of bag containing $300K in cash and prompted a search of JFK security cameras which ‘CAUGHT him stealing the money’
- Delta baggage handler Quincy Thorpe was arrested for allegedly stealing the bag during his shift at JFK Airport on Tuesday
- Ramp agent was detained at his Brooklyn home by FBI on suspicion of stealing $300,000 in cash from a bag destined for a Miami flight
- The bag had been loaded onto the plane but was removed before takeoff
- Thorpe was due to appear in Brooklyn federal court Thursday
- Delta said it’s working with authorities and conducting an internal investigation
A Delta Air Lines baggage handler has been arrested by FBI on suspicion of stealing the more than $300,000 in cash that vanished from JFK Airport on Tuesday.
The $258,200 – plus more in foreign currency – disappeared as eight bags of money scanned by Quincy Thorpe, 40, were being loaded onto the aircraft traveling to Miami.
He was caught on camera taking one of the eight bags from an armored car and loading it onto a container instead of on the flight, according to court documents.
The Delta Ground Services worker had gone home sick around the time of the apparent theft.
Delta baggage handler Quincy Thorpe was arrested for allegedly stealing the bag during his shift at JFK Airport on Tuesday (file image)
It was only when Flight 1225 landed in south Florida on Wednesday morning that it became apparent the bag was missing.
Thorpe was detained at his New York City home on Thursday and appeared in Downtown Brooklyn’s federal court that afternoon to answer for the missing bag that was swiped from the tarmac.
The missing bag and money has still not been recovered but the the suspect was released on $80,000 bond paid for by a friend, according to ABC 7.
‘We arrested a subject at his residence earlier this morning in Brooklyn,’ a representative for the FBI said in a statement. ‘Charges are pending.’
Atlanta, Georgia-based Delta said in a statement: ‘The alleged actions of this employee are unacceptable and in no way reflect the professionalism and values we expect from Delta team members.
‘We are taking this situation very seriously and working directly with authorities on their investigation as well as conducting an internal investigation of our own.’
The apparent theft is far from the first time significant sums of money have vanished from the city’s airport.
On December 11, 1978, six masked gunman stole $5 million in cash and $1 million in jewelry from the Lufthansa Terminal at JFK Airport.
It took the gang – which was linked to the Lucchese crime family – 64 minutes to steal the packets of cash, toss them into a van and escape.
At the time, it was the biggest cash heist ever in the United States. The stolen $5 million would be worth $17.9 million in 2013 dollars, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The crime stumped investigators for years, but a break in the case came in 2013 during a search that turned up human remains buried at the former home of James ‘Jimmy the Gent’ Burke.
After 30 years, the FBI were finally able to charge members of the New York mafia with the heist at JFK – which was made famous by the movie Goodfellas.