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U.S. Flight Attendant Fined $7,000 for Undeclared Jewelry

A Moscow region court fined a U.S. flight attendant 220,000 rubles ($7,000) Wednesday for attempting to pass through customs at Sheremetyevo Airport with more than 8 million rubles ($250,000) in undeclared jewelry.

Suzanne Dicker, 50, a flight attendant for Delta Air Lines, was found guilty of large-scale tax evasion, prosecutors said in a statement. The maximum punishment she faced was a 500,000 ruble fine or five years in prison.

In March, Dicker was stopped at customs by a border guard who discovered that she had not declared 15 pieces of jewelry and two brand-name watches upon arrival from New York, the statement said.

Customs officials searched her and uncovered the jewelry, which had been placed in plastic bags and attached to her coat lining, investigators said. Dicker pleaded no contest.

According to prosecutors, Dicker should have paid at least 3.5 million rubles in taxes for the goods.

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