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Former TSA Screener At JFK Charged With Stealing $7K Watch From Passenger At Checkpoint

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A Transportation Security Administration screener has been charged with stealing a passenger's $7,000 diamond watch from a plastic bin at a Kennedy Airport security checkpoint.

Authorities said video shows Margo Grant-Louree picking up the watch and walking away with it Aug. 26. Authorities said she told investigators she got nervous and later destroyed the watch after she saw co-workers searching for it.

"The defendant was supposed to be screening passengers to ensure the safety of the flying public, but on this particular day this employee allegedly removed a very expensive watch from a plastic bin and kept it for herself," Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said in a statement. "This kind of thievery will not be tolerated at our airports."

The Brooklyn resident was arraigned Thursday night in Queens on charges of grand larceny and official misconduct. She no longer works for TSA.

Grant-Louree was released on her own recognizance. If convicted, she faces up to seven years in prison.

(TM and © Copyright 2015 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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