Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown, together with United States Postal Inspector in Charge Philip R. Bartlett and Port Authority Police Department Chief Security Officer Joseph Dunne, today announced that five baggage handlers whose jobs included loading U.S. mail onto outbound international flights allegedly stole thousands of dollars worth of money orders and checks bound for Japan, China and Korea, and elsewhere, and deposited them into their own bank accounts. The defendants are also charged with stealing credit cards and using them to purchase iPad minis and other items from “Best Buy” kiosks located at John F. Kennedy International Airport.

District Attorney Brown said, “Included among the items allegedly stolen from the mail were money orders mailed by a member of the armed services and in another instance, checks intended for child support. When an individual mails an item through the U.S. Postal Service there is an implicit trust that it will arrive at its intended destination. It is alarming that these defendants were allegedly using U.S. mailbags as grab bags to satisfy their own greed.”

Inspector in Charge Bartlett said, “There is zero tolerance for anyone who steals from the U.S. Mail. Postal Inspectors will utilize every resource available to identify those responsible and ensure justice
is served. ”

Chief Security Officer Dunne said, “I commend the Detectives in the PAPD’s JFK Criminal Investigations unit and their Law Enforcement partners in the Office of the U.S. Postal Inspector on their work in thwarting this illegal enterprise.”

The District Attorney identified the defendants as Anthony Austin, 26, of 193-14 Jamaica Avenue, in Hollis, Queens; Michael Williams, 29, of 489 Atkins Avenue, in Brooklyn; Alexander Fluellen, 29, of 2676 Linden Boulevard, in Brooklyn; Samuel Wright, 31, of 888 Franklin Avenue, in Brooklyn; and Ariel Weaver, 20, of 149-51 127 th Street, in South Ozone Park, Queens. The defendants were arraigned yesterday before Queens Criminal Court Judge Gia Morris on separate criminal complaints in which they are variously charged with third- and fourth-degree grand larceny, third-, fourth- and fifth-degree criminal possession of stolen property, petit larceny and first- and second-degree forgery. Defendants Fluellen, Wright and Weaver were released without bail and Austin was held on $5,000 bail. Defendant Williams is being held pending arraignment.

District Attorney Brown said that, in response to numerous reports of thefts of credit cards, money orders and checks from the U.S. mail, specifically mail allegedly being handled by Ground Services International baggage handlers at JFK International Airport, a joint investigation was commenced by the United States Postal Inspection Service and the Port Authority Police Department, including an investigation of GSI employees allegedly pilfering mail which they were supposed to transport from the JFK postal facility to outbound overseas aircraft at Terminal #7, including Cathay Pacific Airlines, which flies to Japan and Korea.

District Attorney Brown said that, according to the criminal complaints, between July 2013 and February 2014, the defendants are variously accused of taking checks and money orders ranging from $100 to $1,000 that were being sent through overseas mail to recipients in Japan, China and Korea, and depositing the checks and money orders into their own bank accounts, sometimes writing their own names over the names of the intended recipients. In addition, they are accused of taking credit cards that were being mailed to individuals and using them to purchase electronics from two different “Best Buy” kiosks at JFK airport, including multiple iPad minis and Samsung Galaxy tablets.

District Attorney Brown said that, according to the criminal complaints, the combined thefts allegedly totaled more than $27,000. Among the crimes charged are the following:

*On October 23, 2013, defendant Michael Williams is accused of depositing into his own bank account an International Postal money order for $500, which in fact was being mailed to Japan and was intended as a child support payment.

*On October 29, 2013, defendant Michael Williams is accused of depositing into his own bank account two postal money orders for $1,000 and $725, respectively, which in fact had been purchased by a member of the armed services from an overseas military base and were being mailed home to Missouri.

*On September 23, 2013, defendant Michael Williams allegedly deposited into his own bank account a $500 Western Union money order that in fact had been purchased by a woman who sent it via U.S. mail to her father in South Korea.

*On October 4, 2013, at approximately 7:50 a.m., defendants Michael Williams and Alexander Fluellen allegedly used a stolen American Express credit card to purchase three Apple iPad minis from a “Best Buy” vending machine kiosk near Gates 1 and 2 at JFK airport. Several minutes later the defendants allegedly used the same credit card to purchase three more Apple iPad minis from a “Best Buy” vending kiosk located near Gates 9 and 10.

*On October 8, 9 and 10, 2013, respectively, defendant Anthony Austin allegedly deposited a $700 U.S. Postal money order into his own bank account. The three $700 money orders had in fact been purchased by a woman who had sent them via U.S. mail to her father in Japan.

*On September 23, 2013, defendant Michael Williams allegedly deposited into his own bank account a $500 Western Union money order that in fact had been purchased by a woman who sent it via U.S. mail to her father in South Korea.

The case was investigated by United States Postal Inspector Eduardo Gelpi, under the supervision of USPIS Supervisory Agent A.P. Malaiko and by the JFK Criminal Investigation Unit of the Port Authority Police Department under the supervision of Chief Matthew Wilson.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Catherine C. Kane, Chief, Airport Investigations Unit, of the District Attorney’s Organized Crime and Rackets Bureau, under the supervision of Gerard A. Brave, Bureau Chief, and Mark L. Katz, Deputy 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 a criminal complaint is merely an accusation and that a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.