In July, three TSA agents employed at the Miami International Airport (MIA) were arrested for fraud and grand theft after a passenger complained about missing property.
A fellow TSA employee following up on the complaint discovered the crimes while reviewing surveillance footage in hopes of resolving the complaint. The police were called in and immediately arrested the three TSA agents, Elizabeth Fuster (22), Josue Gonzalez (20), and Labarrius Williams (33), on July 6th.
The story has regained traction after the surveillance footage outlining the crimes has been released to the public, stoking public outrage once more.
The released surveillance footage shows Josue Gonzalez and Labarrius Williams subtly going through passengers’ bags while they were going through security at checkpoint E. The duo were caught on multiple occasions, seemingly putting items in their pockets after reaching into the bags before pushing them along the line.
People commented on the videos that have since gone viral, with the common consensus being that the situation was unsurprising, with many speaking about instances where personal belongings were lost after passing through TSA checkpoints.
According to the arrest affidavits, the trio would allegedly work together to distract passengers as they were being screened. One passenger lost up to $600. However, the number has been reduced to just two after Miami-Dade prosecutors dropped the charges for Elizabeth Fuster during preliminary hearings. Her case is now closed.
The two remaining defendants have had their charges changed to grand theft in the third degree, with prosecutors dropping charges for fraud. The pair said they stole many times and would an average of $1,000 daily.
The Transportation Security Administration had this to say regarding the conduct of their officers and the case: “The Transportation Security Administration holds its Transportation Security Officers (TSOs) to the highest professional and ethical standards and has no tolerance for misconduct in the workplace. We actively and aggressively investigated these allegations of misconduct and presented our findings to [Miami-Dade Police], and are working closely with them. Any employee who fails to meet our fundamental ethical standards is held accountable.”
Contrary to the statement made by the TSA, theft amongst its employees is a rampant problem.
A study conducted by ABC News in 2012 revealed that the TSA had fired almost 400 employees for theft. In the last decade, this number is sure to have increased.
According to the study, these are the top airports for TSA employees fired for theft:
- Miami International Airport (MIA) – 29
- JFK International Airport (JFK) – 27
- Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) – 24
- Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) – 17
- Las Vegas-McCarren International Airport (LAS) – 15
A former convicted TSA agent, Pythias Brown, said that a culture of indifference allowed corruption to thrive. Brown stole more than $800,000 worth of goods over four years before he was incarcerated. Brown said most employees began stealing because they were underpaid, faced poor working conditions, and could get away with it.
Sources: The Independent; ABC, Simple Flying
