Kennedy Airport Baggage Handlers Accused of Jewel Theft

Two baggage handlers at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport are charged with stealing $280,000 in jewelry from a suitcase.

The Queens district attorney, Richard Brown, said yesterday that the victim, a jewelry dealer, discovered about 925 items missing after his flight arrived in Los Angeles.

Mr. Brown says one of the baggage handlers kept some of the stolen jewelry at home on top of his microwave, and the other stashed rings and earrings under his bathroom sink.

The defendants, who were arrested Friday, are charged with second-degree grand larceny and third-degree criminal possession of stolen property. They face up to 15 years in prison if convicted.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey's police superintendent, Samuel Plumeri Jr., vows that all airport thieves will be "fully prosecuted, without exception."