Ja’Quan knows where they are.

http://www.foxnews.com/travel/...hecked-firearms.html

Texas airport baggage handler charged with stealing multiple checked firearms

Published March 03, 2017 FoxNews.com


An airport baggage handler formerly employed at Austin-Bergstrom International Airpor has been arrested after authorities said he stole handguns from checked luggage to trade for marijuana.

According to a press release issued Wednesday by the U.S Attorney’s Office, Western District of Texas, 25-year old baggage handler, Ja’Quan Johnson of Austin, Texas surrendered to FBI agents based on a federal criminal complaint charging him with theft from an interstate shipment and possession of stolen firearms while working at Austin's main airport (ABIA)

The complaint alleges that Johnson stole numerous handguns from inside passenger bags at ABIA between Nov. 29, 2016 and Feb. 2, 2017.

The complaint also claims that Johnson traded some of the stolen firearms for marijuana, which is illegal to possess in Texas.

Austin police have since recovered seven stolen firearms and seized an unspecified amount of illegal drugs in warranted searches, which led to the arrests of two of Johnson's alleged accomplices.

Should he be convicted, Johnson will face up to 10 years in a federal prison for theft from an interstate shipment and for possession of each stolen firearm.

Johnson was released on a personal recognizance bond following his initial court appearance on March 1 before United States Magistrate Judge Andrew W. Austin.

No future court dates have been announced but the FBI, Austin police and the Transportation Security Administration are currently investigating.

quote:

Johnson was released on a personal recognizance bond following his initial court appearance on March 1 before United States Magistrate Judge Andrew W. Austin.

That sucks,what the hell is wrong with that judge!

Was he only stealing firearms? How would he know what luggage, out of thousands of pieces, contains them? I thought they weren't supposed to be conspicuously marked.

At least in the 'older days' they were marked as containing firearms. That may of changed, maybe not.

There are also various ways now that look at the content of checked luggage, at least looking for nefarious items.

Stealing firearms isn't smart, cameras & chain of custody often trails the luggage. Then when it comes up missing, it's sort of a higher profile crime which brings the spotlight.

^
I havent flown in years but I have in the past flown with firearms and the airlines make you put a big red tag on the luggage
Came back from Frankford to atlanta and had my bag ripped open.
Was lost the first day,got called the next day to pick it up.
The joke was on the tool here in atlanta as I had taken the receiver .
The stock and barrel was all that was in the bag.
H left me a message on my cloths in the bag [A big greasy shoe print]

quote:

Stealing firearms isn't smart ...

Neither is Ja'Quan, or his parent(s) who gave him that name. I'll bet this apple didn't fall far from the tree.

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Originally posted by egregore:
Was he only stealing firearms? How would he know what luggage, out of thousands of pieces, contains them? I thought they weren't supposed to be conspicuously marked.

More than likely he was stealing other stuff too. But the Feds don't care about that, the locals can prosecute after the Feds are done with him. But why bother as he is facing at least 10 years on the Federal charges, the local theft charges are unlikely to get that long of a sentence.

But if he was indeed targeting firearms, I think that due to the way at some airports where firearms are screened at a special terminal screening area, to target those bags as there is a high likelihood that a bag will contain a gun.

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Originally posted by 45 Cal:
I havent flown in years but I have in the past flown with firearms and the airlines make you put a big red tag on the luggage
Came back from Frankford to atlanta and had my bag ripped open.

Tagging bags with a firearms tag is against Federal law, for that exact reason. Not even international carriers can do it for the US departing and arriving flights. Spent about 15 minutes convincing an foreign airline agent in Houston on that point.

OTOH a declaration form is required, but that should be inside the case or bag unless the case is being put inside another bag. Then it should be places inside the bag near the case.

quote:

Originally posted by sourdough44:
Stealing firearms isn't smart, cameras & chain of custody often trails the luggage. Then when it comes up missing, it's sort of a higher profile crime which brings the spotlight.

Bags containing firearms don't get any special treatment beyond the initial screening at some airports. In fact giving the bags special treatment is counter intuitive as that indicates to a rotten baggage handler that the bag contains a gun. And the handlers have plenty time in the belly of the plane (which is out of sight from cameras) to go through the bags.

How are the victims of this theft treated when they make a claim?

quote:

Originally posted by 45 Cal:

quote:

Johnson was released on a personal recognizance bond following his initial court appearance on March 1 before United States Magistrate Judge Andrew W. Austin.

That sucks,what the hell is wrong with that judge!

For many federal district courts the default assumption is personal bond, unless there are extreme circumstances. Even for crimes much more serious than this. Here is one example:

https://www.justice.gov/usao-e...urns-guilty-verdicts

(Sorry for the thread drift).

quote:

Originally posted by Mars_Attacks:
How are the victims of this theft treated when they make a claim?

I was wondering about that, too. Do the airport take any responsibility?

"We're very sorry for your inconvenience. Please fill out this form. We'll place it in the circular file."

quote:

Originally posted by Palm:

quote:

Originally posted by 45 Cal:

quote:

Johnson was released on a personal recognizance bond following his initial court appearance on March 1 before United States Magistrate Judge Andrew W. Austin.

That sucks,what the hell is wrong with that judge!

For many federal district courts the default assumption is personal bond, unless there are extreme circumstances. Even for crimes much more serious than this. Here is one example:

https://www.justice.gov/usao-e...urns-guilty-verdicts

(Sorry for the thread drift).

Don't be sorry, I'm really glad you answered. I was wondering why such a serious crime would have a PR bond.

quote:

Originally posted by 45 Cal:

quote:

Johnson was released on a personal recognizance bond following his initial court appearance on March 1 before United States Magistrate Judge Andrew W. Austin.

That sucks,what the hell is wrong with that judge!

Chased a guy thru 3 states. Judge released him on an OR bond because "He wasn't a flight risk". I got two days in the can an contempt charge for my "outburst".

I hope ol' Ja’Quan gets a little Texas justice. Piece of shit.

There are many matches that I'd love to shoot, but I'm so paranoid about flying with a gun due solely to a-holes like Ja'Quon. Many thousands of dollars and year plus build times on a replacement. So I'm curious as to what the airlines do, if anything, when a gun is stolen as well.

quote:

Originally posted by PPGMD:

quote:

Originally posted by 45 Cal:
I havent flown in years but I have in the past flown with firearms and the airlines make you put a big red tag on the luggage
Came back from Frankford to atlanta and had my bag ripped open.

Tagging bags with a firearms tag is against Federal law, for that exact reason. Not even international carriers can do it for the US departing and arriving flights. Spent about 15 minutes convincing an foreign airline agent in Houston on that point.

OTOH a declaration form is required, but that should be inside the case or bag unless the case is being put inside another bag. Then it should be places inside the bag near the case.

I recently flew from DFW to Salt Lake City and back with a checked pistol in my bag. They put a big ass red tag on the outside of my bag. Had to pick up my bag at baggage claim office in salt lake but at DFW it ended up on the belt carousal with the rest of the luggage.

quote:

Originally posted by SR025:


I recently flew from DFW to Salt Lake City and back with a checked pistol in my bag. They put a big ass red tag on the outside of my bag .

That ain't kosher. What airline was that?

quote:

Had to pick up my bag at baggage claim office in salt lake but at DFW it ended up on the belt carousal with the rest of the luggage.

Under normal circumstances, the bag should come out on the carousel like any other.

ATL to DFW and back. I put a cable through the pelican case and the bar in the suitcase. Gun tag from airlines inside suitcase. No problems except ATL made me go to over sized luggage to drop it, don't know why.

so let me get this straight. He breaks into a gun store and steals weapons to sell for drugs

and he gets let out on a PR bond?

I'm in the wrong business