Customs officer steals thousands in cash from travelers at Florida airport, feds say
A man arriving from the Bahamas noticed he was missing $2,200 after handing a U.S. customs officer a stack of cash at the Naples Airport in Florida during a routine border examination, court documents say.
He was one of several international airline passengers who had money stolen by William Joseph Timothy, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officer working at the airport, according to federal prosecutors.
Timothy stole about $18,700 in cash from international travelers while carrying out border enforcement examinations and verifying currency between 2023 through earlier this year, prosecutors said.
This happened during 17 separate occasions, based on evidence gathered by investigators from CBP’s Office of Professional Responsibility, according to prosecutors.
Timothy, 43, of Ave Maria, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to stealing from passengers “during the course of his official duties,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida announced in a news release.
His criminal defense attorney didn’t immediately respond to McClatchy News’ request for comment on June 20.
The traveler who arrived at the Naples Airport on a private aircraft from the Bahamas reported to a pilot and an airport employee that $2,200 had been stolen from him in May 2023, according to an affidavit written by a CBP special agent based in Miami.
Airport security footage from that day shows Timothy counting a stack of cash the man handed to him during a border enforcement examination and currency verification, the affidavit says.
In the footage, Timothy was seen setting three stacks of bills aside and appeared to put a few Customs Declarations forms on top of the money in a likely attempt to hide the cash, the footage shows, according to the affidavit.
Timothy never returned the money, 22 bills, to the passenger and was seen pocketing the cash after the man walked away, the affidavit says.
He “filed no report or documentation which would serve to justify any seizure of cash” from the man, the CBP officer wrote in the affidavit.
Court records show Timothy was charged with an officer or employee of the U.S. converting property of another (more than $1,000), a federal offense.
In agreeing to plead guilty, Timothy has promised to pay full restitution to the individuals he stole from, prosecutors said.
He also agreed to “immediately resign” from CBP, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office.
Timothy faces up to 10 years in federal prison, prosecutors said. His sentencing hearing hasn’t been scheduled yet.