Federal authorities have arrested two men accused of stealing gold bars from Los Angeles International Airport. Marlon Moody, 38, and Brian Benson, 35, were both charged with conspiracy and theft of interstate and foreign shipment.
The FBI said the two men were working as cargo handlers for Alliance Ground International when a shipment of 2,000 gold bars arrived at the airport on a flight from Singapore. Each gold bar weighed about two pounds and was worth $56,000. The gold bars were being shipped by a Canadian bank from Australia to New York, with a layover in Los Angeles.
After the gold was off-loaded to an on-site cargo area, workers discovered that one box containing 25 gold bars was missing. The following day, Moody found the missing box near the Singapore Airlines cargo warehouse. He moved the box to another location, where he allegedly took four gold bars from the container.
Later that day, Moody met with Benson in a parking lot and gave him one of the gold bars. He also gave one of the bars to a family member, instructing them to "exchange the gold bar for a vehicle and/or money." He then buried the other two gold bars in his backyard.
The missing box was found by cargo workers, who noticed it had just 21 bars of gold inside. Authorities launched an investigation, which led them to Moody and Benson.
If convicted, the pair faces up to 15 years in federal prison.
Photo: Getty Images