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Politics & Government

Three Charged in TSA Bribery Scam

A Culver City resident is one of two admitted drug couriers, in addition to three charged today, who are all scheduled to appear in a federal court Aug. 14.

Three people, including two transportation security officers at Los Angeles International Airport, were charged today with conspiring to pay bribes to Transportation Security Administration employees in a case involving smuggling marijuana onto a flight, according to court documents.

Two other defendants, including a Culver City man, agreed earlier this month to plead guilty to conspiracy charges.

Dianna Perez, 28, of Inglewood, Paramount resident Randy Littlefield, 29, and Millage Peaks, 24, of Los Angeles were charged today, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

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Charles “Smoke” Hicks, 24, of Culver City, and Andrew “Drew” Welter, 25, of Fontana, filed plea agreements July 2, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

According to the plea agreements, the two men acknowledged working with Millage J. Peaks IV, the son of a retired Los Angeles City fire chief, who allegedly promised to pay $500 for each suitcase containing marijuana that cleared security at LAX.

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Peaks and former TSA employee Dianna Perez were arrested and charged last October in connection with the case, but charges were dismissed with the possibility that prosecutors could re-file them at a later date, according to court papers.

Randy Littlefield, a second former TSA employee named in court filings as an alleged co-conspirator, also has no charges outstanding.

Prosecutors contend that between November 2010 and October 2011, Perez helped the smugglers avoid airport security by showing them how to avoid triggering TSA alarms.

The marijuana was being flown from Los Angeles to Boston, court papers show.

Each defendant faces up to five years in federal prison, and all of them are scheduled to appear in federal court on Aug. 14, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

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