STRATEGIC PARTNERS
February 10, 2000
MIAMI -- It was a classic crime of opportunity. Roney Carrera, Lazaro Diaz and Luis Nosti, three Miami International Airport workers who plastic-wrap passengers' baggage to protect it from thieves, allegedly stole more than $6,000 from the bank accounts of people who used a pair of NationsBank ATMs at the airport, according to the Miami Herald. Police quoted in the Herald's report said the men waited for a forgetful ATM user to walk off without his card, then went over and withdrew more money from the victim's account. Their workstation was located only a few steps from the machines. Victims often didn't discover their losses for weeks, police said. First they realized they had forgotten their bank cards at the airport. Later they received bills and bank statements and realized they had been robbed. Crime analysts identified the three suspects after matching up theft reports, banking records and surveillance videos. Carrera and Nosti each were charged with two ATM thefts. Diaz was charged with one theft. Police believe the men -- or other airport workers -- may have committed more thefts. Twenty similar crimes have been reported at the airport since August 1999, and most were committed at ATMs on two concourses. The investigation is continuing.
