Quincy Thorpe, a Delta airlines baggage handler, and his alleged accomplice Emmanuel Auquo Okon are on trial for the theft $258,200 in September 2019
Prosecutors allege that Thorpe was the inside man on the robbery, which saw eight money bags destined for Miami removed from a plane
Thorpe and Okon face charges of conspiracy to steal cargo and cargo theft, and the possibility of 10 years behind bars
A Delta baggage handler accused of orchestrating a $300,000 theft is on trial in New York City this week along with his alleged accomplice.
Quincy Thorpe and Emmanuel Auguo Okon are on trial in Brooklyn Federal Court for the theft of the cash, that was stolen in September 2019.
Bags filled with $300,000 in cash were due to fly from JFK to Miami
The money bags filled with nearly $300,000 in cash that a Delta baggage handler is alleged to have smuggled out of JFK Airport have been pictured for the first time, as he and his accomplice stand trial in NYC.
Delta ground services worker Quincy Thorpe and his alleged accomplice Emmanuel Auquo Okon are currently on trial in Brooklyn Federal Court for the theft of the Miami-bound money, which was stolen in September 2019.
During their trial on Wednesday, prosecutor John Vagelatos said the two left behind evidence pinning the crime on themselves.
According to the New York Post, he said: 'The money was gone but the defendants had made a tremendous mistake. They had left behind hard evidence of the crime.'
Vagelatos described Thorpe, of Brooklyn, as the 'inside man' in the ploy, since he worked for the airport and was responsible for loading bags of cash onto the flight.
The $258,200 - plus more in foreign currency - disappeared as the bags scanned by Thorpe were being loaded onto the aircraft in New York which was due to land in Miami.
Thorpe was allegedly caught on camera taking one of the bags from an armored car and loading it into a white van instead of on the flight.
Prosecutors allege that Thorpe, who had gone home sick around the time of the apparent theft, and another person then drove the van to meet Okon on the public side of the airport, and hand over the money.
The outlet reported that the FBI later found Okon's car days after the theft, and found receipts from the armored car company and Delta cargo tags for the shipment.
Thorpe was later tracked down and arrested days after, with Okon later nabbed following his friends arrest.
Outside of court on Wednesday, his lawyer Lonnie Hart Jr. claimed his client had been used as a patsy by the airline and security company Loomis which had been tasked with protecting the cash.
According to the Post, Hart told the court in his opening statement: 'Someone has to pay for it and the convenient person in this case is my client, Quincy Thorpe, because he was, in fact, in charge of loading that particular flight.'
He added: 'He’s a scapegoat for someone else’s incompetence.'
Hart also claimed that the actual man responsible, a Jeremy Hollingsworth, drove the white van and was the actual perpetrator.
Hollingsworth is expected to take the stand for the government later in the trial, which is expected to run for the remainder of the week.
On Wednesday, several Delta and Loomis employees took the stand, describing how the bags of cash were handled before Thorpe had custody of them and after
According to the New York Daily News, Okon’s lawyer, Douglas Rankin, said: 'Money got stolen.
'Whether it was Miami, whether it was New York, money got stolen. A quarter of a million dollars, somebody gets arrested and prosecuted, and it’s not always the right somebody.
'It is undisputed that there is not a video of [Thorpe] stealing the money. The most surveilled airport in the world, no video.'
Thorpe and Okon face charges of conspiracy to steal cargo and cargo theft, and the possibility of 10 years behind bars, according to the outlet.
It's unclear who the security company was working for, and who the rightful owner of the cash is.
50CENT ,BIG L, HUDDY6, E MONEY BAGS,TY DOLLA SIGN REMY MA, DJ MUSTARD,NICKI MINAJ,YG,STaCK Bundles,CAMRON,SMOKE DZA, Noreaga, T.I.,IGGY ,TINY ,MEEK MILLS, JIM JONES,PUSHaT, YOUNG CHRIS, JUS AB S Deuce Music, G MAY, HERB, MCGRUFF, X SANTINO, ROCK LORD, SHAE Taylor, KEV PERRY, Jadakiss, SHEEK LOUCH, STYLES P, GHOST, DRAKE, KSLAY, YOUNG JEEZY, BIGGIE SMALL, DMX, DR.DRE, SNOOP DOG & MORE
Exclusively for our readers, these women's Michael Kors sunglassesdrop from $85 to $50 to $32 per pair at Eyedictive when you enter our promo code BRADS18 at checkout. Plus shipping is free. That's the lowest price we found by $23, and most retailers are charging $70-$99 for Michael Kors aviators. These sunglasses provide 100% UV protection, and they ship with a Michael Kors storage case and a cleaning cloth. Better yet, there is no sales tax (except FL).
How to get it
Enter our exclusive promo code BRADS18 in the cart.
Exclusively for our readers, this pair of men's Nike Dart 12 Shoes falls from $70 to $35 when you apply our code BD35 at checkout at Proozy. Shipping adds $5.95 or is free on orders over $50. We couldn't find these for less than $50 anywhere else. Five colors are available in sizes 8.5-13. Sales tax is charged in most states.
