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TSA agent helped himself to a $47,900 camera (and more!)
It's no secret that I'm not a fan of the TSA. While I fully understand the importance of keeping our planes and airports safe, I'm just not sure the TSA is up to the job. The agency is also plagued by bad PR, mainly because of incompetent staff members and insane decisions that impact us as travelers.The latest in a long lineup of bad press for the agency involves TSA screener Pythias Brown. This 48 year old resident of Maplewood, NJ was supposed to keep bad stuff off the plane, but instead, he was helping himself to valuable items from the bags of people entrusting him with their belongings.
Pythias started small, stealing cameras, laptop computers, gaming consoles and eventually moved on to the good stuff including a video camera belonging to CNN, and a $47,900 camera stored inside the bag of an HBO employee.
The items were sold on Ebay, and as you can see from his feedback listing, these were not cheap items.
His greed eventually came back to haunt him, when CNN found one of their cameras listed on Ebay. With a little help from the local police department and the USPS, Brown was apprehended.
When agents entered his house, they found 66 cameras, 31 laptop computers, jewelry, lenses, GPS devices and more.
The total value of the stolen items is well over $200,000, and if you have ever lost an expensive item when flying from Newark Liberty Airport, you'll be thrilled to hear that the TSA is taking the matter "seriously". News like this just reinforces the need to keep anything of value out of your checked bags.
Of course, this also makes me wonder just how on earth a TSA agent is able to leave the sterile area of his or her local airport with a $47,900 camera hidden in their bag. We passengers get screened, so perhaps it is time to start screening TSA staff when they enter and leave the airport?
Reader Comments (Page 2 of 11)
wstar20 Oct 13th 2008 3:04PM
Jessica you seem to have misplaced your loyalty. THEY ARE HERE ILLEGALLY. Homeland Security is doing a terrific job. Do you do realize that every American who is employed pays out of their hard earned salaries a % to these illegals/well fare recipient programs. They get all the assistance - food, health, shelter..........what about our citizens. We get zilch, nothing, NADA.
Jerry Oct 13th 2008 3:06PM
They are criminals. They should be arrested.
mark Oct 13th 2008 4:05PM
Just because they're illegal immigrants doesn't mean they should be treated inhumanely and sent to literal concentration camps where they are routinely exploited, humiliated and sexually abused. If you were in their shoes I'm sure you'd do whatever it takes to support your family. I'm not for keeping them here, but if they're caught they should just get sent back--not detained and violated! But I guess since they're illegal they're not human to you. I thought I would post about the TSA report and instead I come accross these disgusting insinuations that illegals deserve to be held and abused. How despicable some people can be.
AnyoneAnywhere Oct 13th 2008 4:13PM
To Jessica, My spouse works for the TSA . He is NOT A criminal!!There are employees at any company, weather it be the government or McDonalds that steal. What about that pen you took home from work that you didn't buy!!(stealing)
To Mary, did you take a pys eval for your job. Get real!
Yes stealing is WRONG not what type of job you have.
Dawn Oct 13th 2008 5:11PM
Think you dropped in on the wrong forum...but since you brought it up...they are here ILLEGALLY...so therefore they should be arrested....any normal CITIZEN would be arrested for doing something illegal...if they feel they should benefit from hard working, tax paying citizens (social services, health care, food stamps, welfare)then they should also suffer the consequences of breaking our laws. If someone comes here illegally...and wants to stay here...then they had better do all that they can to become a productive tax paying CITIZEN. They should be given a time limit...if they haven't made sufficient progress by X amount of months or years....back over the border you go! They need to pay their fair share just like everyone else...I despise the fact that someone wants to come here and lay claim to what myself and so many others have worked their whole lives to build simply because they tell a sob story or have some false sense of entitlement.
eatahabanero Oct 13th 2008 7:42PM
Jessica dear are you ok?
conor Oct 16th 2008 7:24PM
spot the mexican.
Jeff Oct 13th 2008 2:31PM
My nephew went on safari in Africa. I told him not to take along one of his extremely expensive and rare hunting rifles. Guides their will loan you a rifle. Anyway he didn't take my advice and guess what? Yea, it was stolen by a baggage handler and the airline offered him a measly sum of 1700. What a joke.
Anonymous Oct 13th 2008 2:32PM
When you blame all for the sins of one, you become no better. Where something like this may have, at one time, been more frequent, it is now extremely rare. And, that person will be punished, AND lose their job.
Mary Oct 13th 2008 2:33PM
Why don't these companies screen people before they hire them? When I say screen, I mean not only a background check, but a psych. eval. or whatever else is necessary to detect a criminal applying for a security position. You always hear about some (not all) security guards always breaking the law, whether it be stealing from people, drug smuggling, inside jobs, or accepting money to let a potentially dangerous passenger go through without being screened. This is not protecting us and it puts our lives at risk.
doughb9y Oct 13th 2008 2:49PM
do back ground check cost the company so much money and time consuming. the real problem is that it is hard to find good employee with a clean background.
Just look at what is going on with the corporate America, especially the wall street. I hold top secret clearance, it took years to investigate. I don't condone the thief in any shape or form, they don't need to work in the public trust company. I travel quite a bit but I carry all expensive electronic equipments with me, I don't even let them out of my sight.
TMum Oct 13th 2008 4:40PM
Mary, yes, the background check is extensive. I have a friend who just went through this proceedure for the same job, and was declined simply because his wife once called the police in a domestic dispute! They asked everyone in his family questions before declining him - and he is a nice guy who just locked himself in a bathroom when his wife threw something at him! He went through every kind of psych evaluation there was. Somehow this Brown dude either just faked it through or turned to greed on the job.
McCain 08 Oct 13th 2008 2:34PM
Pythias Brown ! need I say more ? Well there you go now you know !
BONANZA Oct 13th 2008 2:35PM
Its all Bogos Man
redconvoy Oct 13th 2008 2:36PM
Zip has a point. Never EVER EVER put your electronics in checked luggage. I never do that. I always bring it on board where it's in MY LINE OF SIGHT. Use common sense!
The same could be said when you move from one place to another. Never put your electronics in the moving truck or van unless you are the one driving it. Never trust the drivers. We had a PS3 stolen after I warned my niece to bring it with her in the car. I brought all of my electronics except the television set (who'd steal that since it was worth spit) in my car and moved them myself.
Leigh Oct 13th 2008 2:43PM
What was the TSA doing in Newark during this lifting, all these people making accusations that there stuff has been stolen. What did they tell those people, you must have been mistaken and not packed it!!
RDF Oct 14th 2008 12:41AM
I'm sure this is not an isolated incident. Why doesn't the TSA take some simple precautions? Place visable, known cameras in all inspection areas. If any TSA employee does opens a bag outside this area for any reason without a witness and documenting it, they are terminated. This allows for emergencies. If they do open it outside the video, even if they do not steal anything, they will lose their job. Second, place a repoprt clause in their contract that if they witness someone opening outside the video area and fail to follow proper procedures, they are terminated also.
Dave Oct 13th 2008 2:49PM
My wife was going through security at lax and the TSA agent told her she had to take off her Diamond tennis bracelet. She told the agent she would not take it off. They could use the wand on her. The TSA agent told her she could not go through if she did not take it off and put it through the x-ray. Needless to say the bracelet was gone when she got through the other side the TSA agent went on break just as she went through. My wife call the police and a supervisor they looked at the security tape and the TSA agent did pick up something . TSA said they could not prove she tookthe bracelet I know she did take it. Thank God for insurance it was worth 20k
David Oct 13th 2008 2:54PM
The article suggests that TSA officers who handle check bags should be screened. TSA officers who screen check bags do not work in the sterile area, so they are not subjected to screening. Just like an airline employee who works the ticket counter, they never enter security to get to there work station. Therefore, the author of this article needs to know and understand the facts before making suggestions that do not make any sense. I am happy this guy got caught and I do not fault the TSA for his actions. Just like I do fault the post office when a postal person shoots and kills somebody.
Stephen Moore Oct 13th 2008 2:54PM
I work at an airport and know after you leave your bags at the counter they go to a sorting room to be x-rayed. Cameras, laptops etc show up nicely. Also I've never seen less than 2 TSA agents working together. So yes Brown had some help. Also rarely is my bag checked coming to work and never upon leaving.