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A 2006 Ford van parked by 56-year-old Marco Costa in the American AIrlines employees lot at JFK Airport in October “appeared low to the ground” and had a registration that had expired in September 2013, the authority’s Joseph Pentangelo told CLIFFVIEW PILOT.
Officers who spotted it summoned a canine, who didn’t indicated any explosives were in the vehicle, he said.
After impounding the vehicle and obtaining a warrant, authority officers opened the trunk and found 700 pounds of coins “In various bags and suitcases,” Pentangelo said.
“It became clear that the suspect, in his role as a flight attendant for American Airlines, collected funds from passengers as part of a regular charitable program for UNICEF,” he said.
Costa, of Miami, FL, admitted he collected and kept the donations from January 2013 until last October, Pentangelo said.
The approximate value, he said:
$2,900 worth of Euros
$1,800 worth of pounds
$150 US currency
Authority police charged Costa on Saturday with grand larceny and possession of stolen property. He was released on a summons to appear in court in March.
IMAGES: Courtesy PORT AUTHORITY PD
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