By Jennifer Meckles, Newsy.com
The TSA has been getting some bad press lately. From its invasive pat-downs to radiation from scanners. Now — an allegedly renegade agent — stealing electronics from passenger bags, WSVN-TV reports.
“Thirty-year-old Nelson Santiago arrested, police say, he often took iPad out of luggage. Then he snapped a photo. And in a flash the stolen goods were posted for sale online.”
The agent was caught stuffing an iPad down his pants by a Continental airlines employee. And apparently — this wasn’t his first grab.
“He had this down to a science. He would take an item, phone, post it on Craigslist and most often it was sold by the time his shift ended,” said Dani Moschella of Broward Sheriff’s Office in Florida.
Accumulating more than $50,000 in stolen goods in six months, Nelson Santiago was eventually charged with two counts of grand theft and fired.
But according to The Daily Pulp, Santiago is just one of many TSA employees allegedly stealing from travelers.
“In fact, he joins at least six other sticky-fingered TSA crew members who were also recently caught allegedly lifting things from luggage… Around 500 TSA employees have been fired from the agency for theft since its inception in November 2001.”
So, what can passengers do if this happens to them? The TSA says — the best option — is to just carry-on those valuable items.
“To prevent theft, our employees are prohibited from taking backpacks, lunchboxes or any other personal carrying item into baggage screening operation areas.”
VIDEO:
pp
why were they fired? they shoul serve time!!!!!
so much for Gov employees…
who is pre-employment screening them? the TSA LOL
Had a laptop in checked baggage and an external HD, both were gone when I picked them up from the conveyor belt … The TSA is a bogus law enforcer, they are mostly illiterate morons that can’t get a job elsewhere… They gave them badges so they would seem authorative, but in actuality, they are a blackhole for our tax dollars. Rid us of them!!!
all TSA agents should have to walk through the scanners on their way home.
This happened to me b4 a few years ago when I was flying to florida, I had about 5000 $$ worth out of my suitcase, and the only people who cared was the police detectives in the airport, they found the guy, and the person who stole my stuff was a jetblue baggage handler, not TSA, and he was caught with using my credit card I accedently left inside my suitcase, at a local grocery store where his wife was a ex cashier, and my case was solved, and I ended up taking jetblue to small claims, and the jetblue… Read more »
Ha! Jetty Seinfeld.
that will for sure to that???
who was the comedian that asked about the IQ of those people that the zipper is hanging on to dear life?
they should also be xrayed after each shift
And those TSA guys are supposed to be keeping us safe!
Yeh right
I just flew a few days ago, and when they had to open my luggage, he said that I had to watch him do it……..this way, nothing was stolen. 🙂