Man Fined $13,000 For Flipping The Bird In Brazil.

[HolyMoly]

It wasn't a fingerprint, but a finger that got an American Airlines pilot arrested in Brazil.

The finger the pilot used wasn't the finger Brazilian authorities had in mind when they were fingerprinting him.

Police say Dale Hersh lifted his middle finger while being photographed and fingerprinted under new rules put in place for visitors from the United States.

Hersh was undergoing a new security process at Sao Paulo's airport Wednesday. Police accused him of showing contempt to authorities and he was taken to a courthouse for possible formal charges.

Hersh has agreed to pay a fine of about $13,000 to avoid charges. He's been released on his own recognizance.

Hersh's 10-member crew was detained at the airport after the incident and wasn't allowed to enter Brazil.

Brazil imposed requirements that Americans be fingerprinted and photographed at entry points as a counter-punch to similar rules in the United States for citizens of Brazil and other countries whose citizens need visas to enter.

American Airlines said it has apologized to the the Brazilian government and the police and that it was all a misunderstanding.

http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/2766726/detail.html

edit - I just changed the header info - CP