Florida airport employee stole $16K in items from luggage, deputies say

OKALOOSA COUNTY, Fla. — A Florida man was arrested after deputies said he was stealing items from the luggage at the Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport.

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The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release that it was first contacted in July when a traveler reported that her luggage never arrived at her destination. The traveler told investigators that the luggage contained items worth more than $1,600, which included an Apple AirTag. She told investigators the AirTag last showed as active on a street in Mary Esther, Florida.

On Aug. 9, deputies said a traveler reported more than $15,000 in jewelry and other items had been taken from his luggage.

Investigators with the sheriff’s office used the address where the initial victim’s AirTag was last active to cross-reference a database of airline employees, CBS News reported.

Deputies said that when they went to Giovanni De Luca’s home, they found the items that had been reported missing from the suitcase on Aug. 9.

De Luca allegedly admitted to going through the suitcase of the initial victim, and removing the AirTag, but deputies told CBS News that they had not yet recovered the items taken from that bag.

“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,” Okaloosa County Sheriff Eric Aden said in a statement.

De Luca, identified only as an airline subcontractor, was released from jail on a $7,000 bond, WEAR reported.

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