Prosecutors move to seize nearly $590,000 they say a Dorchester couple had stuffed in carry-on bags for a flight to California

A Dorchester couple who showed up at Logan Airport last month with $589,041 in cash stuffed inside pants in two carry-on suitcases and two duffel bags could be about to lose the money, under a forfeiture motion filed yesterday by the Suffolk County District Attorney's office.

Prosecutors say a drug-sniffing dog twice detected the odor of narcotics in a bag state troopers filled with all the money - much of it in the form of $20 bills. Plus, the couple gave odd and inconsistent answers during an interview at a State Police barracks, the DA's office alleges, adding that although the couple promised to provide proof of a legitimate reason to stuff several hundred thousand dollars into clothing for a cross-country trip, investigators have yet to hear from the couple, more than a month after they were stopped at a TSA gate and agreed to an interview with state troopers.

The couple were not arrested after the cash discovery - and were told repeatedly they were not under arrest - and were allowed to leave the interview at the barracks to try to catch their flight.

But prosecutors are asking a Suffolk Superior Court judge to let them take control of the money under a state law on seizure of money used for drug transactions. Should the couple ultimately be charged with trying to use the money as part of a drug transaction, the DA's office would get to keep the money permanently.

Universal Hub is not naming the couple because they have yet to be charged with any crime.

According to the DA's motion, the initial TSA search of one roll-on suitcase was at Terminal C around 5:30 a.m. on April 15, even though the couple said they had stand-by tickets on a United flight, which would have left from Terminal B. The husband told troopers they were at Terminal C to try to get on a JetBlue flight in case they didn't get seats on the United flight, and initially told troopers the money was to buy a nail salon, although he could not name it or say exactly how much it would cost, the motion states, adding he also couldn't explain why the couple had immediately gone to Terminal C rather than checking in at United in Terminal B.

When a trooper asked why he had stuffed money in pants, the husband first said the salon sellers had requested to be paid in cash.

"Troopers suggested it would have been safer to wire the money through a bank," but the man had no response, the motion states, adding he then added he tried to hide the money in pairs of pants because he was "afraid of getting robbed" and that "California is a dangerous place."

When asked how much cash he was bringing with him, the man at first said maybe $8,000, but said his wife might have stuffed more money in the pants. Troopers "explained their doubt that there was only $8,000.00 in it, considering every pair of pants was stuffed with U.S. Currency, and have [sic] him another opportunity to be forthcoming about the amount," the motion continued. He then allegedly and reluctantly said, OK, it might be closer to $16,000.

He then told troopers the money was really so he could buy a house in California, and on his phone began calling up photos of what troopers thought were just random houses to support his story. He said he was working with a broker he knew only as Tiffany, from a billboard he had seen on a previous trip to California. According to the motion, a trooper later called the number the man gave and a woman named Tiffany admitted she was a real-estate broker, but denied ever working with somebody from the East Coast.

The man then consented to let troopers search the bag.

Upon doing so, they recovered several pairs of pants all stuffed with U.S. Currency. Troopers noticed the money was dirty and looked like it had not come from a bank. Upon seeing the currency, [the man] said, " Wow, that's a lot of money." When Troopers asked him if he would like to speak further on the matter, he stated he wanted to return to the terminal to attempt to catch his flight, and Troopers ended the interview.

But even at $16,000, that was just one suitcase.

According to the motion, surveillance video showed the two entered the terminal - separately - with two carry-on suitcases and two small duffel bags. Around 9 a.m., after the couple had been allowed to return to the terminal, airport workers found "three unattended bags" at Gate C-26, which they brought to the terminal lost and found and began to inventory - and immediately found large sums of cash, which they began dumping into three garbage bags for storage.

The motion stated that the man initially got through the security checkpoint with a suitcase and a duffel bag without any inspection, but that a white suitcase his wife had was pulled aside for inspection. The man went up to the TSA agent, said the luggage was his and began talking to the agent - as his wife took her duffel back and her husband's luggage to gate C-26.

Troopers put all the money in one bag and brought over their drug-sniffing dog, Nitro, who "alerted to a positive odor for narcotics detection" in the bag. Nitro was allowed to take more sniffs the next day and again signaled the odor of narcotics from the bag, the motion states, adding troopers were able to link the three other bags to the couple both by reviewing surveillance video and because one of the bags had a luggage tag on it with the wife's name.

The motion stated the much of the couple's behaviors - buying standby tickets on one airline, then switching to another, entering the terminal separately, giving evasive answers - when coupled with the reaction of the drug-sniffing dog - were indicative of money being ferried to support a drug transaction and so asks a judge to issue a preliminary order giving the DA's office custody of the money.