Airport workers busted for theft

About 18 employees at New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport were arrested for allegedly stealing 55,000 plastic booze bottles, officials said. The thefts were uncovered when FJC Security Services, which services the airport, received an anonymous letter earlier this year about how an airport employee was involved in the scheme, the New York Post reported. "We brought that information to the Port Authority's attention. And they launched an investigation," said Michael McKeon, a spokesman for FJC. "They asked us not to fire these people, to let them stay on the job and continue to operate." The employees -- 15 members of the Sky Chef company, which provides food and beverage services to American Airlines, and three private airport security guards -- allegedly stole the mini bottles of alcohol after American Airlines flights landed at the airport. The Sky Chef employees, who were supposed to take left over bottles to a storage room inside the airport, allegedly took the bottles home while the security guards turned a blind eye, officials said. The liquor bottles, valued at $750,000, were then sold to convenience stores throughout New York City, officials said. Officials said the investigation took several months and that an undercover informant bought some 55,000 stolen mini-bottles. "What is extremely troubling in this post-9/11 world is that all of these individuals had unfettered access to the secure aeronautical area of the airport," said Port Authority Inspector General Robert Van Etten.