Newark Airport TSA agent charged with $700 daily theft from passengers

by Scott Carmichael on

Well, here we go again. In what seems like a monthly report on sticky fingered TSA staff, Newark Airport earns this months dubious honor for airport with the worst offenders.

This case revolves around two TSA security screeners who worked at Newark Liberty Airport. The duo is accused of stealing up to $700 in cash every single time they worked, grabbing hundred dollar bills from passenger luggage.

Most of the victims were women heading home to India – which means the two suspects knew exactly who to target.

The two made things worse by joking about their crimes in front of their supervisors, splitting the cash under the watchful eye of security cameras and at one point, even sticking up their middle finger to the cameras.

The first of the two suspects was arrested last month, and spent a month cooperating with Port Authority Police and the Department of Homeland Security. At the end of that month, police arrested 41 year old TSA supervisor Michael Arato. His accomplice has not been named or charged yet. In the complaint, Arato is on record saying “he was angry at the women for “leaving this country with our money.”

Both men have been employed at Newark since 2002 and began stealing last year. According to a TSA spokeswoman, 23 TSA agents have so far been fired for stealing from passenger luggage, and Newark is so far the leader in thefts – with one security screener admitting to over $400,000 in stolen property.

[Photo from: Flickr/Slasher-Fun]

TSA forces Richmond airport to issue access badge to convicted felon

by Scott Carmichael on

In today’s episode of “what did the TSA do this time?”, the agency is under fire for not only hiring a convicted felon, but demanding that his assigned airport issue him an access badge.

The unidentified TSA employee was hired by the agency after passing their background checks – but when he applied for his airport badge, Richmond airport turned him down, citing a conviction for robbery when he was 18.

When the airport denied the badge application, the TSA demanded that they reconsider, citing “unspecified consequences” if they refused. To me, this sounds an awful lot like blackmail.

The employee had not mentioned the conviction on his TSA application, and it doesn’t look like it it would have mattered, because the TSA claims he actually committed the crime when he was 17, and that they don’t really care about a conviction at that age.

The airport access badge is required to obtain access to the “sterile” area of the airport, including the baggage sorting areas and airline parking spots. Of course, the job of a TSA agent also includes passenger and luggage screening – something convicted felons should not be allowed to do if you ask me.

Politicians are now getting involved, and U.S. Rep. Eric Cantor has asked the TSA to clarify their actions. Given the recent bad press for the TSA, it never ceases to amaze me how they continue to screw up, creating even more bad PR. Lesson to be learned? If you are a criminal planning to protect our skies, make sure you don’t commit any crimes after your 18th birthday.

What do you think?

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TSA agent given desk job after being caught sleeping at the airport

by Scott Carmichael on

New York writer Bucky Turco (of the awesome Animal New York blog) snapped this picture when he was waiting for a flight out of La Guardia airport. The TSA agent has obviously had a long day, and needed to catch some Z’s, but failed to realize that doing this in the public departure lounge may not be the best place.

The agent has been reassigned to a desk job pending an investigation. I’m slightly torn on the issue (as are most other people talking about the incident). On the one hand, I understand how tough the job can be – a long day of screening people who still don’t know about liquid bans will probably be enough to put anyone to sleep, but to do so in public is just plain stupid.

The TSA is having a pretty crappy month already – first they let someone enter Newark airport through a door that was supposed to be monitored, then someone passes into a secure area at JFK.

Article and photo source: Animal New York

Philly TSA agent plays cruel drug baggie joke on traveler

by Scott Carmichael on

In what appears to be a daily report of the “dumbest TSA agent”, a story from Philadelphia airport will really have you fuming.

22 year old Rebecca Soloman was heading back to Detroit on January 5th, when she passed through the airport checkpoint. As her bag came out of the X-ray machine, a TSA agent motioned for her to come towards him. As she approached, he held up a small plastic bag containing white powder, and asked “where did you get it”?

Rebecca describes the next 20 seconds as the longest in her life. As she went through all the various terror scenarios in her mind, she held back her tears. It was then, that the TSA agent smiled and told her that he was “just kidding”.

Just kidding – a TSA agent makes you think he found drugs or explosives in your bag, and he was just kidding. Before you get as mad as I did reading the story, you’ll be happy to know that this guy is no longer employed by the TSA, though the agency would not say whether he was fired, or quit on his own.

Look – I understand that every organization in the world is going to be staffed by a small percentage of incompetent fools. But I just don’t get how so many of them ended up in charge of protecting our skies. From missing loaded guns to robbing us blind, the organization always manages to attract the worst of the worst.

A TSA spokesperson issued the following statement to Philly.com:

“The TSA views this employee’s behavior to be highly inappropriate and unprofessional. We can assure travelers this employee has been disciplined by TSA management at Philadelphia International Airport, and he has expressed remorse for his actions.”

Kudos to the agency for taking swift action against this employee. The quicker they get rid of people like this, the better.

Pocketknife found on plane causes major security drama at Dallas airport

by Scott Carmichael on

The discovery of a pocket knife on an American Eagle plane at Dallas Fort Worth airport triggered an aircraft evacuation, passenger rescreening and a two hour delay.

The knife was found by a passenger between two seats, and while common sense tells us that someone probably found it in their pocket after simply forgetting to remove it, the TSA treats these incidents as a major breach of security.

Of course, the stupid knife should never have made it through the checkpoint in the first place, but items making it past the checkpoint is barely news any longer.

I fully understand asking the TSA to come pick up the knife, but to force everyone off the plane is just stupid – and reinforces the idea that they are not doing their job correctly. If the TSA had faith in what it does to protect us, they should have taken the knife, apologized to all the passengers, and let the plane depart on time.