Four flight attendants were charged Wednesday with various offenses relating to their alleged participation in smuggling drug money for many years to the Dominican Republic on commercial flights.
The flight attendants used their “Known Crewmember” (KCM) status with the TSA, allowing them to pass through a special security lane at John F. Kennedy and other airports with less scrutiny.
Approximately $8 million in cash was allegedly transported in their bags over the years-long smuggling operation when they flew from New York to the Dominican Republic, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office (USAO) in the Southern District of New York.
Charlie Hernandez, 42, of West New York, Sarah Valerio Pujols, 42, of the Bronx, Emmanuel Torres, 34, of Brooklyn, and Jarol Fabio, 35, of New York, were each charged with one count of operating an unlicensed money transmission business and one count of entering an airport in violation of security requirements.
Ms. Pujols and Mr. Hernandez were also charged with conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmission business, and Ms. Pujols was also charged with one count of bulk cash smuggling.
“As alleged, the defendants knowingly smuggled large amounts of illicit money linked to the sale of narcotics, to include fentanyl, and took advantage of airport security checkpoints by using their trusted positions as flight attendants,” said Ivan J. Arvelo, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in prepared remarks.
“This investigation has exposed critical vulnerabilities in the airline security industry and has illuminated methods that narcotics traffickers are utilizing. Today’s announcement should serve as a warning to all airline personnel: HSI New York will not tolerate employees’ attempts to abuse their power for the sake of transporting illicit goods,” Mr. Arvelo said.
The alleged smuggling operations began as far back as 2014 and took place through 2022. All of the defendants were employed as flight attendants with different international airlines that operated routes between New York City and the Dominican Republic.
A cooperating witness who was arrested in 2021 for operating a money laundering organization in New York City assisted the attorney general and Homeland Security with the investigation. One method he used as part of his organization to move cash proceeds from narcotics sales from New York City to the Dominican was through corrupt flight attendants.
HSI then set up sting operations with his assistance and another cooperating witness. The flight attendants allegedly would accept bulk cash from the first cooperating witness in New York City, get it past airport security via the KCM lane, and then pass it off to other members of the money laundering operation in the Dominican Republic.
The attendants allegedly would receive a fee, which was generally a small percentage of the amount of the money they would be smuggling.
“As alleged, these flight attendants smuggled millions of dollars of drug money and law enforcement funds that they thought was drug money from the United States to the Dominican Republic over many years by abusing their privileges as airline employees,” said Damian Williams, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York in prepared remarks.
“Today’s charges should serve as a reminder to those who break the law by helping drug traffickers move their money that crime doesn’t pay,” Mr. Williams said.
A spokesman for the U.S. AGO, when asked if they alerted the TSA to the vulnerabilities at the nation’s airports regarding airline attendants, declined to answer.
The spokesman did tell The Epoch Times via email, “They were all bailed subject to the same conditions: $50,000 bond, 1 co-signer. They all have one week to fulfill their conditions.”
The TSA did not respond to a request for comment before publication on whether they will be reviewing their procedures for flight attendants at airports after the results of this investigation.
