Yet Another TSA Agent Busted for Stealing iPads
Posted 12/07/2012 at 3:48pm
| by Matt Clark
The holidays are a great time of the year, but it's also a potential headache for anyone trying to travel by air to see their loved ones. We're subjected to a number of inconveniences in getting through airport security these days, and sometimes a handy iOS device is the only thing to keep us sane during those inevitable delays. But you may want to keep your iPad close: the TSA seems to have a bit of a theft problem on its hands.
Just another case in a long-string of recent incidents, another Transportation Security Administration agent was found lifting iPads, reports ABC News.
Sean Henry, a baggage screener at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York, was arrested this week as part of a sting operation administered by the TSA and New York Port Authority. Henry is accused of attempting to leave the airport with two stolen iPads (both planted as part of the operation) and "numerous" electronics he pilfered from passengers.
The TSA was able to use the Find My iPad function within the device to track Henry and the purloined devices.
"TSA holds its employees to the highest ethical standards and has zero tolerance for misconduct in the workplace," said TSA rep David Castelveter. The spokesperson also added that the TSA is going through the process to terminate Henry.
Unfortunately, this isn't the first instance of TSA agents with sticky fingers ripping off iPads from the public they're supposed to protect. In September, ABC News conducted its own sting operation, leaving a number of iPads in the security checkpoint of the Orlando airport.
TSA agent Andy Ramirez was tracked to his home, also by using the Find My iPad function. Ramirez was subsequently terminated.
The same investigation discovered 381 TSA agents were fired for theft between 2003 and 2012. Moral of the story? Keep your iPad in the carry-on bag.
Follow this article's author, Matt Clark on Twitter.
Image Source: Port Authority Police Department/ABC News