CHICAGO — A U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent was convicted of pocketing $5,000 in cash from an international passenger at O'Hare Airport last year, federal prosecutors announced Thursday.
On Feb. 22, 2016, Salvatore Picardi, 38, stole the money from a woman who had just landed on a flight from China, according to the announcement from the U.S. Attorney's Office.
When the woman noticed her money was gone and officers helped search for it, Picardi "tried to avoid detection by stuffing the cash into a jacket belonging to the woman and claiming he had discovered it," prosecutors said.
Picardi, of suburban Park Ridge, was convicted of embezzlement by a federal officer under color of law after a three-day trial in Chicago.
The conviction is punishable by up to 10 years in prison, attorneys said. Picardi is scheduled for a sentencing hearing on Dec. 12.
