Before I get accused of painting everyone who works for TSA with a broad brush, I'm not. The majority of people working for TSA are just following orders and doing their jobs, I know this. Others however, like this guy, aren't simply doing their jobs to "keep us safe" but get to rummage through your stuff and feel you up anyway.
A convicted TSA security officer says he was part of a "culture" of indifference that allowed corrupt employees to prey on passengers' luggage and personal belongings with impunity, thanks to lax oversight and tip-offs from TSA colleagues.
"It was very commonplace, very," said Pythias Brown, a former TSA officer at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey who admits he stole more than $800,000 worth of items from luggage and security checkpoints over a four-year period.
"It was very convenient to steal," he said.
Brown is one of almost 400 TSA officers who have been fired for stealing from passengers in the past decade. According to the TSA, 381 TSA officers have been fired for theft between 2003 and 2012, including 11 so far in this year.
Not surprisingly, TSA refuses to acknowledge they have a problem.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member