An airline worker was arrested for stealing lost luggage items totaling $16,000.
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Giovanni De Luca,19, was arrested on two counts of grand theft after a traveler’s Apple AirTag located her missing luggage. De Luca worked as an airline subcontractor at Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport. According to Insider, the woman told police that her AirTag was last activated in Mary Esther, Florida, and her missing luggage contained more than $1,6000 worth of items. Investigators said they used an airline database to locate employees who lived near the address where the AirTag was last activated.
De Luca was visited by police after contacting him about the case, and the missing items were retrieved from his home. He later confessed to searching through the woman’s suitcase and removing the AirTag. Investigators said they only retrieved the missing items from a male passenger whose luggage contained jewelry.
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Additionally, another traveler said his missing luggage items were worth more than $15,000, including jewelry.
Another traveler reported more than $15,000 dollars in jewelry and other items had been taken from his luggage August 9th. During the course of the investigation, deputies had cross-referenced employees who lived in the vicinity of Kathy Court.OCSO Investigators made consensual contact with De Luca yesterday at his home on Kathy Court. They were able to recover the items reported missing August 9th.De Luca also admitted rummaging through the first victim’s suitcase and removing an Apple Airtag. Her belongings have not been recovered.
“This arrest is an example of excellent teamwork by our Airport Security Unit, our Investigators, and the Airport to find the person responsible for these thefts and make sure he is held responsible,”.
“The last time I flew I checked luggage with a firearm. At midnight when I reached my final destination I was told my luggage was not on my flight. I was told it had been placed on another flight and should be there (in awhile). Of course worst case scenario ran through my mind. Airlines have specific tags they place on luggage to indicate that there is somthing on that luggage and it is handled differently. When my luggage did finally arrive I insisted that a representative of airline watch me open it just in case the weapon wasn’t in it. Thankfully it was. There are so many shady people working handling luggage, I am sure allot of lost luggage has been stolen. “