An American Airlines pilot was fined nearly $13,000 last night on accusations he made an obscene gesture when being photographed at the airport as part of entry requirements for US citizens, officials said.
Brazil imposed the new rules that Americans be fingerprinted and photographed at entry points in response the similar rules in the United States for citizens of Brazil and other countries whose citizens need visas to enter.
The pilot, Dale Robin Hersh, lifted his middle finger while undergoing the new security process at Sao Paulo's Guarulhos International Airport, the federal prosecutor said.
Police accused the Miami-based pilot of showing contempt to authorities, a crime in Brazil, and escorted him to a nearby federal courthouse for possible formal charges.
However, Mr Hersh agreed to pay a fine before he leaves Brazil in exchange for no charges being filed, the prosecutor said.
"Since this was a minor crime I proposed that he be fined 36,000 reals ($12,750), which will later be donated to a home for the elderly," the federal prosecutor told reporters.
AP