NEW YORK — Four flight attendants have pleaded guilty to charges related to smuggling drug money from New York City to the Dominican Republic, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams announced on Wednesday.
The defendants, who abused their positions to facilitate the transfer of narcotics proceeds, each admitted to operating an unlicensed money transmission business.
Sarah Valerio Pujols, Charlie Hernandez, Emmanuel Torres, and Jarol Fabio were employed by various international airlines and used their “Known Crewmember” (KCM) status with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to bypass standard security protocols at John F. Kennedy International Airport. This special status allowed them to move through a dedicated security lane with less scrutiny, which they exploited to transport large sums of cash derived from drug sales.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams underscored the seriousness of their actions. “These four flight attendants abused their privileges as flight attendants to move money for drug traffickers,” he said. “These guilty pleas show that the sky is not the limit when it comes to law enforcement’s reach.”
According to court documents and statements made during the proceedings, the defendants collaborated with a significant money laundering organization (MLO) operated by a cooperating witness identified as CW-1. This MLO specialized in moving cash proceeds from narcotics sales from New York City to the Dominican Republic. The flight attendants received bulk cash from CW-1 in New York City, smuggled it past airport security, and handed it off to another member of the MLO in the Dominican Republic, known as CW-2.
The operation unraveled when CW-1 and CW-2 began cooperating with law enforcement. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the New York City Police Department (NYPD) conducted sting operations, during which the defendants were provided with funds represented as narcotics proceeds. The flight attendants then transported the money to the Dominican Republic, where it was handed over to CW-2 and subsequently returned to law enforcement.
Valerio Pujols pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald on July 23, 2024, followed by Hernandez on July 25, 2024, before U.S. District Judge Ronnie Abrams. Torres and Fabio entered their guilty pleas more recently, with Torres appearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sarah Cave on August 12, 2024, and Fabio before U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian on August 13, 2024.
The case highlights the ongoing efforts of federal and local law enforcement to disrupt money laundering operations tied to narcotics trafficking, particularly those involving individuals who abuse their professional positions to facilitate criminal activity.