Minn. airport worker pleads guilty to gun thefts
Oct 3, 2013, 7:17 PM
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – A former worker at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport was sentenced Thursday to two years and two months in prison after he pleaded guilty to stealing shotguns, revolvers and other weapons from the checked luggage of passengers who had connecting flights through the busy Twin Cities airport.
David Vang, 24, of St. Paul, pleaded guilty to 10 counts of theft of a firearm. An 11th count of theft over $5,000 was dropped.
Vang worked for a Texas firm to maintain a belt that carried checked luggage. Authorities learned last year that weapons were being stolen, so they set up surveillance cameras. Authorities said footage showed Vang removing items from checked luggage and taking them to an unsecured employee parking ramp where his wife was waiting in a vehicle.
The criminal complaint says authorities found stolen firearms, a crossbow, iPads, laptops, jewelry, electronics and other items in Vang’s apartment. Authorities said he had 716 stolen items, valued at more than $84,000.
His attorney declined comment Thursday.
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