CHICAGO (AP) — Federal prosecutors say a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent has been convicted of pocketing $5,000 cash from a passenger at an O’Hare International Airport screening station.
Federal prosecutor in Chicago said Thursday that a jury returned its verdict Wednesday against 38-year-old Salvatore Picardi of Park Ridge. He was convicted of embezzlement and faces up to ten years in prison when he’s sentenced Dec. 12.
Prosecutors say Picardi took the cash Feb. 22, 2016, from a female passenger who arrived on a flight from China. They say the woman noticed the money was gone and officers began searching for it.
Prosecutors say Picardi tried to avoid detection by stuffing the money into a jacket owned by the woman and claiming he discovered it. They say however that the jacket was searched multiple times before.
