Joe Pellicone

On April 8, 1983, the three-year anniversary of the start of my career as a Port Authority Police Officer, I noticed while on a screening post a X-ray screen displaying what appeared to be US Currency. I stopped and questioned the individual and when asked if the money was his, he stated, NO Officer, it’s YOUR money! I called my supervisor and we returned the individual to the Police Desk at JFK for further investigation.

The individual had stated at the gate that there was $50k in the package, however after counting, we discovered the sum was $476k dollars. The person and money were turned over to the DEA and I later learned that he was the son of the head of an Organized Crime Syndicate in Florida. The money was receipts from illegal gambling in NY and was being flown to Florida to purchase cocaine which is then shipped back to NY. I was later called to testify at the President’s Commission on Organized Crime in Washington DC.

On Tuesday October 27, 1981, I attended the 1445 roll call. There were two FBI agents in attendance and they shared info on a man they were looking for who was allegedly going to try to hijack an aircraft. The description was a Black Male wearing an Army fatigue jacket, jeans and brown penny loafers. While covering Post 56-1 United Airlines Screening Point around 230 pm I observed a person matching that description enter the men’s bathrooms in front of my post. I called for backup, Officer Jablow responded, and we arrested the individual who had a Molotov cocktail and lots of matches and lighters in his possession.