JFK baggage handlers accused of stealing loot

Two airport workers charged and held on bail; face 15 years in prison

Top slideshows

Getty Images	The Big Apple Long referred to as the center of American business, New York is a melting pot of cultures and landscapes. Take a visual tour of some of the Big Apple’s most famous attractions.
Lonely Planet Images	Hawaiian paradise The Hawaiian Islands are the perfect vacation destination for travelers of all types.
Lonely Planet Images	National spectacles Nearly 400 national parks can be found all across America, and feature breathtaking vistas, rock formations millions of years old, and more.

updated 1:21 p.m. ET Jan. 15, 2008

NEW YORK - Two baggage handlers at Kennedy airport are accused of stealing more than $250,000 worth of diamonds and other jewelry.

Queens prosecutors said Monday that a 51-year-old worker and his 39-year-old supervisor are charged with grand larceny and possession of stolen property. They say the jewelry was stolen last week from a container marked "high value" that was being shipped from Switzerland to Brazil.

Police say the supervisor broke the seals on the container and gave three boxes of jewelry to the other worker. They say the worker then hid the jewelry in his jacket before placing it in a locker at an American Airlines terminal, where investigators found it.

Story continues below ↓

advertisement | your ad here

Each of the men is held on $5,000 bail and faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted.

Don't miss these Travel stories from msnbc.com
Curses! Superstitions around the world
Brits say no to foreign language on holiday
Deadwood marks 20 years of legal gambling
Top 10 global cities to party the night away
Eat, shop and explore Chicago’s ethnic ’hoods