I'm busy working. This is mine's. >> That's what? >> This is mine. This is >> That's yours. >> Yeah. >> On June [music] 7th, 2025, Tampa International, deputies were called in after a traveler claimed his wallet packed with $200 and a fistful of credit cards vanished without a trace. >> Eli. >> Hey, sir. Officer Ver, >> how are you? >> All right. Just want to start off. Do you know any reason why I would want to talk to you? >> No. at all. >> No. Okay. So, we're investigating a a stolen wallet. >> Okay. >> Here at the airport. >> Absolutely. >> Okay. Do you know anything like that? >> Yeah. I looked through the wallet and I found one. I put it in my hardware. >> You found a wallet? >> Yeah. It was a It was a guy's old wallet, but I was going to make sure that the managers. >> Okay. Did you Did you notify anybody about it? >> No, I haven't noticed none of my managers. >> Okay. All right. Um, in that case, yeah, let's go get it. Good. Okay. >> Okay. >> Did you uh >> Did you go up through it or anything? Nope. >> Okay. >> All right. >> Why didn't you notify a supervisor? >> Well, I was basically, but I was busy working. >> This is mine's. >> That's what? >> This is mine. This is >> That's yours. >> Yeah. >> So, basically, I was too busy working, so I wasn't I didn't have any time. So, I was running back and forth and stuff like that. So, I didn't get to basically go ahead and give it to the manager. >> So, >> all right. Well, it kind of puts us in a rock and a hard place. >> Okay. because you know it's in your locker, your stuff's in it. So that tells me you went through it. You opened it at least. >> Okay. >> All that. Would you be willing to come back to the station and provide a statement to us? >> I don't want to really write a statement for anything. I mean, >> well, I'm trying to afford you that opportunity cuz it's just a little weird to us. >> Okay. >> I wish you would have told supervisor and then kind of it then we wouldn't even be talking to you right now. >> Right. No, but I was busy. That's the whole purpose. >> What was your what's your policy on loss of families? >> We have to retrieve it to our managers. cuz we have to let our managers know that we have it. But I was basically walking around doing everything that I >> Where did you pick it up at? >> It was over there by the It's considered the it's the it's like it was on a seat. >> Mhm. >> So I picked it up. I said, "Okay, cool." And then I was so busy running around the airport and basically helping out what I can [clears throat] go back and just get a statement from. >> We'll talk about it further down there. Just follow me over and we're just going to come right in here, man. >> Just have a seat up here. All right. >> So, I just I need you to uh fill out a statement here. Fill it out to the best of your ability. Um you have a pen? >> No, I don't. >> Okay. And before you do that, I got to read you your rights because I got to ask you some follow-up questions. And >> no problem. >> By reading your rights, you know, I [clears throat] got to let you know >> it may elicit a criminal in uh response. Okay. Okay. Okay. So, you have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law. You have the right to consult an attorney with you uh make any statement or answer any question and the right to have an attorney present during questioning. If you want an attorney but cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed to represent you before and during questioning free of charge. You may use any of these rights at any time before or during questioning. You may stop the interview at any time. >> Okay. >> Do you understand these rights? >> Yep. Go ahead. >> Okay. Are you willing to answer any questions, make any statements without an attorney being present? >> No, not at all. >> Okay. Has anyone threatened you, coerced you, or promised you anything to cause you to answer any questions or make any statements? >> Not at all, sir. >> Okay. So, you don't want to make any You don't want to make a statement? I mean, unless I'm being booked for something necessarily. I wouldn't want to answer any questions necessarily. Okay. >> Because right now, it seems like you're charging me for finding something. >> No, I'm just trying to ask you questions and all that, right? I can't ask you anything further. >> But you already offered me a statement. I mean, >> yeah, I'm I'm asking you to do a statement, >> right? I haven't read [clears throat] a statement, but it seems like I'm If you have to read my rights, then most likely I'm >> Well, I want to ask you some more questions. That type of thing. >> Okay. >> But before I do that, I got to read you your rights and you got to understand you got to be willing to cooperate, talk, >> right? But if I'm going to get questioned any further, I rather ask for my lawyer if I'm already if I'm charged with anything. So >> Okay. All right. >> Do you want to fill out a statement then? >> I mean, yeah. I could just state that I found your found this wallet. >> All right. Matt, what I'm going to ask you to do is stand up, turn away from me, and put your hands behind your back. Okay. >> Mhm. 44 level. >> You need two sets of >> C. Good. >> Unfortunately, man, you I I wish you would have made in contact with your supervisor and notified that we wouldn't even be in this position right now. >> Yeah, but obviously like the managers I mean I'm not I'm not mad at the situation or stuff like that. I didn't do anything necessarily. All I did was retrieve it. >> But if it's in your possession and somebody reported it stolen >> and your stuff is in it. >> It's stolen but it's it's not I didn't steal anything. I mean I was working so I didn't have the chance to get it to my manager. thing also is that the information desk is right there on the transfer level and you could have handed it to them or somebody else and been like, I found this wallet. Um, here it is. And then obviously you were on break so we know you took your break and you didn't hand it in at that time. >> No, I just [clears throat] I have a short I have short concentration so I basically was running around. Everything's going to go into the property and that's >> No, you're good. That's >> all right. You just turn. Can you open your mouth? Stick your tongue out. >> Okay. >> I just want to make sure. >> Yeah. So, it'll be in our lost and found office here. So, when you get released, you can come to the lost and found and it'll be um in our storage. So, >> how will my manager know if I'm being booked or anything? >> Where can I make contact with them and let them know? >> All right. >> Yeah. But this is I mean what's what are going to be in charge for it? >> It's going to just be petty theft. >> Petty theft? >> Yeah. >> And even if the associate even if the Even if the customer or the client finds it and I'm still I'm still going to be charged with petty theft. >> So if they go to court and they charge and they say they >> it's in your possession, man. They reported it stolen. >> No, no, no. I understand that it's petty theft. I get it. >> Grab it. You just failed to report it. >> I get it. Yeah. That's the whole situation. I understand that. I'm not like a criminal in a sense. Not I'm being booked for petty theft, but I mean I just want to make sure my stuff is straight. >> Yeah, it'll be right outside in our office out here. >> Okay. >> So, all right. >> Once you get back, just go to the lost and found and they'll have it all. >> That's mine. This is all >> She's going to take care of all that. All right. >> He's going to get in on the other side and buckle you in. >> Yeah. Go. petty death [ __ ] sitt like he just stole a brick like what black man right young like one of said I just found that [ __ ] I didn't get a chance to go over there to give it away. No way. I found that [ __ ] Oh, okay. Here the money still in the pocket. I just put my stuff in there just to make sure that he got his [ __ ] So they thought he was going to leave with it. So they trying to catch it. Your locker technically they wasn't even able to go in there. He just said but they did. So, what was the story behind the whole thing? >> The wallet? >> What' you say? >> What was the whole story behind the whole wallet situation? >> Um, >> so you guys had to go over to the location and say, "Hey, somebody reported it stolen." So, my manager showed you guys the videos and then you guys came and approached me. >> No, we we watched videos ourselves so we can see everything on it and then we figured out where. >> So, when the person says, "Oh, my stuff is stolen." He just reports it and say, "Hey, this is where I left it." >> Yeah. So then we went and looked and there was >> And you saw me there. >> You had to see me. >> We did. And that's how we found you. >> Right. >> Yeah. It's like short of a goal. If I would have just gave it to them. They were like, "Home run. You guys got it." Well, not me. That's so purpose of it. If it would have made it to my office, it would have been straight. >> Yeah. >> That was Yeah. >> But the fact that there's such a huge time lapse doesn't help anything else. >> No, it doesn't really matter. I mean, the judge says that the judge gets to see it. >> We're just doing our job and then the judge does his portion. >> Yeah, I know. I'm not It's petty theft in the federal building. Like, well, it's petty theft. >> It's still petty theft. They Okay, petty theft. First charge. Never got in trouble. Nope. They going to put me on probation. >> I got to find another job. No, >> I'm out of here. >> Once you talk to the judge, they could be like, "Oh, maybe it was a mistake." >> No, it is. Cuz the thing about it is when you think about it, it is a mistake. But I said it like it's not like I I just found cocaine on me. Like >> that's why when a judge going to look at it like, "Okay, I'm a federal judge. What is the situation?" Okay, cool. Case number such and such. What was the whole item? Petty theft. It's a pocketbook with $135 or $150. Oh, really? Okay. Sir, do you know the the the the the the uh the severity of your crime? Yes, sir. No, sir. You're not on my right. So, obviously, like you're not going to sentence me to like 7 years in prison. >> So, I can't hear you. I can't hear you. >> No, I get it. I get it. I lost a job, but they're not going to make me like go to jail like prison. If I would have found a gun, then I would be like, "Oh my god." I just shook it. Oh snap. >> That's a simple mistake. >> That was really like a simple [clears throat] mistake. He was charged with petty theft. [music] This story reminds us of a hard truth. Doing the right thing matters most when no one's watching. A simple choice. Reporting what you found or keeping quiet can be the thin line between integrity [music] and trouble. In a world where every action leaves a trail, honesty is still the only path that never traps you later. 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