Four flight attendants were arrested at Miami International Airport on money laundering and other charges after authorities found them carrying thousands of dollars in cash during a routine Customs check.
Carlos Alberto Munoz-Moyano, 40, Maria Isabel Wilson Ossandon, 48, Maria Beatriz Pasten-Cuzmar, 55, and Miaria Delpilar Roman-Strick, 55, were arrested early Tuesday on money laundering and unauthorized money transmitting charges, according to an arrest report.
The report said a Customs and Border Patrol agent was conducting a routine check on Munoz-Moyano, who had just arrived in Miami on an American Airlines flight from Chile. The agent asked Munoz-Moyano how much money he had on him, and Munoz-Moyano first said he only had $100, then changed his answer and said he had $9,000, the report said.
CBP officers began to stop other flight attendants, and found Roman-Strick in possession of $7,300 in U.S. currency, the report said. Wilson Ossandon was found to be in possession of $6,371, the report said.
The report didn't say that cash was found on Pasten-Cuzmar, only that she was also checked in the Customs area. The total amount of currency seized was $22,671.
Prosecutors said the flight attendants conspired to bring the money into the U.S. and deliver it to an unknown person, and they would receive a percentage of the money in return.
All four were booked into jail early Tuesday and had immigration holds. Attorney information wasn't available.
"We take this matter seriously and are cooperating with law enforcement throughout their investigation," American Airlines said in a statement Tuesday.