A Delta Airlines employee at Palm Beach International Airport was
arrested Saturday after authorities say he was caught with more thancaught with more than
$282,000 in a backpack.
Jean Yves Selius, an airline ramp agent, was stopped for bypassing
security checkpoints and using his employee identification to enter a
secure area of the airport from outside tarmac ramps, according to an
affidavit submitted with a criminal complaint that was filed in U.S.
District Court in Southern Florida on Monday.
The affidavit, from a special agent with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security,
states that Selius, 26, was wearing civilian clothes when he was
approached by an airport operation officer and asked to show the
contents of his backpack. At that point, Selius willingly revealed
"large packets of cash wrapped in clear, vacuum sealed bundles,"
according to the affidavit.
The special agent says a drug-detection dog called to inspect the scene
indicated that the backpack had been in contact with drugs.
When investigators interviewed Selius, he told them that he was being
paid about $1,000 to hand over the backpack to an "unknown person in a
bathroom inside the airport's sterile area," according to the affidavit.
Selius said he had allegedly done similar drop-offs in the past year
and had earned almost $4,000 for his work.
Selius also told authorities, according to the affidavit, that he knew
the backpack contained a large amount of money and did not "come from a
good cause." He said that he only knew the men who paid him as "Ricky"
and "John."
A Delta spokesperson told ABC News that Selius' employment with the airline has been terminated.
"DGS will continue to fully cooperate with law enforcement authorities in this matter," the company said in statement.
Selius was taken into custody and faces a single charge of illegal money
transmitting. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of five years
imprisonment, the court document stated.
Selius is being held in custody and could appear in court for a hearing later this week.
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