July 30--A United Airlines employee and his wife have been charged with grand theft and burglary for allegedly stealing the luggage of passengers who were supposed to fly into San Francisco International Airport but were diverted because of the Asiana Airlines crash, prosecutors said Monday.
A Richmond couple returning home from vacation were to have flown into SFO on July 8 but were unable to because of the crash of Asiana Airlines Flight 214 two days earlier. But their luggage made it to the airport, and when they went there to pick it up, it was missing, said Karen Guidotti, San Mateo County's chief deputy district attorney.
Surveillance video captured United customer service representative Sean Sharif Crudup, 44, of Richmond stealing the bags and handing them off to his wife, Raychas Elizabeth Thomas, 32, and another woman, authorities said.
Among the items inside the bags were valuable clothing, and Thomas -- posing as the person who bought it -- returned "a large quantity of it" to the Nordstrom at the Stoneridge Mall in Pleasanton for about $5,000, Guidotti said.
The two were arrested when Thomas was catching a flight to Hawaii, Guidotti said. More property from the victims was found at their home, authorities said.
Crudup pleaded not guilty Friday to charges of grand theft and burglary and is being held at San Mateo County Jail in lieu of $75,000 bail. Thomas posted $50,000 bail.
Henry K. Lee is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: [email protected]. Twitter: @henryklee
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