The TSA is at it again. A Transportation Security Agent was caught stealing iPads and laptops from checked luggage at New York's JFK airport in a setup.
TSA agent Sean J. Henry from Brooklyn was arrested on Tuesday after he stole two iPads and a 17-inch MacBook Pro from a bag in which the Port Authority purposely placed in the airport as part of a setup. Police also found that Henry had another stolen laptop already in his home, the New York Post reports.
Henry was charged with larceny, possession of stolen property, and official misconduct, according to the Post. He is set for arraignment in Queens Supreme Court.
Henry will not be working with the TSA anymore. He's currently on indefinite suspension without pay and is in the process of being completely terminated.
TSA screeners are doing their holiday shopping in your luggage.The Port Authority set up the sting as there was an increasing theft problem occurring at the airport. New York Senator Chuck Shumer asked the TSA to hold stings to weed out thieving agents. He also suggested that they be screened just like passengers before leaving work to make sure they weren't in possession of stolen property from passengers.
"These are exactly the type of stings that should be done nationwide, and at random. Clearly there is a small minority of agents that are prone to fleece travelers, and this is precisely the type of check that will deter would be thieves, or catch them," Sen. Schumer said, according to the Post.
This is just the latest in many cases of TSA theft. From May 2003 to December 2011, 381 TSA agents were fired for stealing. The TSA also received 206 reports of missing items last year, according to the Post.
Theft among the TSA is a major problem. "This recurring problem we have with dishonest TSA personnel is not only a local problem, but a national problem," a law enforcement official told the Post.
The TSA insists that it is doing what it can to ensure their employees aren't engaging in this behavior.
"Like the PAPD, TSA is conducting integrity testing at JFK as well at other airports around the country. TSA is committed to a proactive testing regimen to hold our employees accountable to the public and ensure they are conducting themselves with professionalism and integrity," the TSA said in a statement to the Post.
The TSA said that their agent wasn't the only airport employee that was arrested in the Port Authority setup, but the PAPD could not confirm that claim.
In September, ABC held their own investigation in which they caught a Florida TSA agent stealing an iPad that they placed in a setup.
In October, a former TSA agent who was arrested for stealing over $800K worth of goods during his career said that theft among the agency is common and it is very easy to get away with.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
