He And His Wife Plead 'Not Guilty' To The Charges

A former employee of United Airlines and his wife accused of stealing a passenger's luggage during the confusion that followed the Asiana Flight 214 accident have pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The pair allegedly took luggage belonging to a local couple and returned some of the items inside to a Nordstrom department store for $5,000.

The couple whose baggage was stolen had been on a flight that was re-directed to Los Angeles International Airport two days after the accident. But their luggage was on a different flight, and made it to KSFO as scheduled. When the couple arrived by rental car back in San Francisco, they found only five of their six bags waiting for them at the terminal, according to a report in the San Mateo County Times.

Surveillance video showed Sean Crudup (pictured, left), who was a United Airlines customer service agent, taking the bag and handing it to his wife, Raychas Thomas (pictured right). Another woman was present but was not charged. When they went through the bags and found expensive clothing with the price tags still attached, they allegedly went to the store and returned them for $5,000 cash, according to authorities.

The couple was arrested in July as Thomas was preparing to board a plane for Hawaii. When their home was searched, other allegedly stolen items were found that could not be returned. They are currently free on bonds of $75,000 (Crudup) and $50,000 (Thomas). They will face a jury trial in April on charges of second-degree burglary, according to District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe.

(Images courtesy of the San Mateo County Sheriff's Department)

FMI: http://www.co.sanmateo.ca.us/portal/site/districtattorney