He stole at JFK to fund drugs:d att’y

A U.S. Customs officer accused of stealing cash from hundreds of people coming into the country on international flights turned to theft to sate his costly addiction a to the drug kratom, his h lawyer wrote Tuesday.

Joseph Cialone, 40, was caught on video in March 2019 filching $100 from a woman entering e the states from Trinidad d and Tobago at JFK airport. When he was confronted by law enforcement, Cialone admitted to stealing cash from international fliers while searching handbags more than 100 times between 2018 and 2019.

He H committed the crimes to fun nd his addiction to Kratom, an herbal, over-the-counter, add dictive drug that many swe ear helps curb opioid addiction n, according to his lawyer.

“Mr. Cialone did what so man ny desperate drug addicts do tto support a habit — he violate ed everything he believed and d stole money,” wrote his law wyer, Richard Rosenberg in court cou papers Tuesday.

Cialone’s untreated ADHD, anxiety and depression led him to self-medicate with the drug, according to Rosenberg.

Kratom comes from a plant native to Southeast Asia. It is sold in capsules and powders often in bodegas and corner stores. Said to ease pain and anxiety, the drug has been responsible for a growing number of overdoses in the U.S.

The FDA says kratom is addictive and affects the same “opioid brain receptors” as morphine.

Cialone took kratom to deal with his “inner demons,” according to the court filing.

“Kratom pills would cost him $25 and he would take multiple pills each day costing him up to $110 each day,” Rosenberg wrote.

“Instead of seeking the help he needed, Joseph self-medicated with a drug that is considered legal in this country. This drug, although considered ‘all natural,’ led to the downfall of my son’s life,” wrote Deborah Capobianco, Cialone’s mother, to the federal judge in his case.

Cialone’s lawyer asked the judge to sentence the former CBP agent to probation. He is set to be sentenced on Oct. 1.