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Is that an iPad in their pants or is the TSA just happy to see us?
It happens every day. You amble up to the TSA security checkpoint, and with the customer service touch of gulag overlords, the TSA officers slowly herd you through to freedom on the other side. They stare you down with steely eyes, inspect your ID with hawkish intensity, berate you for forgetting the hand sanitizer in the deepest recesses of your backpack, and apparently, occasionally stuff your electronics into their pants.That is what one Florida TSA agent is guilty of - stuffing items of material worth into his TSA-issued pants. Nelson Santiago had all but perfected the art of the security checkpoint heist. He would pilfer items out of screened luggage such as GPS units, tablets, laptops, video cameras and more. He would take pictures of his loot (probably with a stolen camera) and immediately post the stolen goods online to sell. The goods would be turned around and sold before his shift even ended, making him a nimble bastard of the highest order.
And then one day, while casually stuffing a gleaming iPad into his pants, he was caught red-handed.
According to the Broward Palm Beach New Times, a Continental Airlines employee witnessed Santiago (left) as he pulled an iPad out of some poor sap's luggage and slid the tablet computing device into his pants. The authorities were alerted, and Nelson Santiago's reign as the "Thief of Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport" was over. Charged with two counts of grand theft, Santiago was finally apprehended and taken into custody.While his overall take is an estimated $50,000 in electronics, most of the goods will never be recovered. Santiago has worked at Terminal 1 of Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport since 2009. I don't think he will be making it back to work any time soon.
Filed under: Stories, North America, United States, Airports, News
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Christine Jul 7th 2011 8:05PM
did you ever wonder what happens to the stuff we all lose ?well now we know I hope they send him to jail for ever what a jerk he is
Steve Jul 7th 2011 8:09PM
Their job is national security. Their breach of duty may not exactly be treason, but this kind of breach of duty should be treated like treason or desertion.
Sandy Jul 7th 2011 8:12PM
Last November I was a victim of TSA theft. While traveling from Long Beach airport to Sacramento,CA., my bag was inspected by TSA agents. There was a circular stamp on my Jet Blue luggage check indicating they in fact opened my suitcase. Missing (2) shoes, one of each pair I had packed and a silver watch that was placed in the toe of the black shoe. I reported it missing and was told by Long Beach Police Department that all incidents are on tape and did I want to prosecute when the film was examined.....I filed a claim with Jet Blue, TSA.......TSA denied the claim, Jet Blue said they were not responsible for jewelry.....Long Beach Police took two months to evaluate the situation. Their final statement was the film was not clear enough to see anything unusual......am I upset.....YUP!!!! Can I do anything about it??? Nope!!!! How many other people are out there just like me.....can TSA get away with all of this forever?????
t8bac Jul 7th 2011 11:13PM
Nazis did the same thing in wwII.
Tom Jul 8th 2011 12:59AM
JetBlue should not be responsible if a TSA agent stole your belongings.
Lynn Jul 8th 2011 2:08AM
A TSA woman began to walk away with my purse (jewelry, passport, money etc.) some 25 feet away to "inspect it" and I hollered really loudly "HEY, YOU CAN'T DO THAT." Five TSA agents immediately grabbed me and I yelled that the agent had my purse. They then let me go, ran after and yelled at her telling her she had to inspect my purse with me there, not 25 feet away with her back to me, hiding whatever she was doing in my purse. Yell if you're being mistreated. Causes lots of commotion. By the way, I'm 76 years old.
maureen Jul 7th 2011 8:20PM
why don't you have a picture of the thief along with your article for all to see?
Mark Lathom Jul 7th 2011 8:57PM
Well who's the bald dude with the goattee?
dano376@aol.com Jul 7th 2011 11:16PM
I lost a one of a kind proto type "GUESS " watch to TSA at Las Vegas. Right at the X-Ray belt. It went in , but never came out.. DENial all the way by them, followed up with , if we got (30 days later) we sold it for charity. TSA SUCKS ! ! !
I'll won't trust them with a dirty nose tissue........
:-o(
Jan Jul 8th 2011 1:05AM
And they want to unionize -- is that to protect the incompetents or thieves, or both. Fire all of them, let Israeli security train our returning troops in profiling, and put them in the airports for security with M-15s like they do in other countries. No unions, no molesting children and elderly people, and no excuses why a passenger was able to take a pistol on in his carry-on luggage. TSA is the height of incompetence and arrogance and Janet Napolitano justifies it all. Fire all of them, they have never caught anyone.
PJ Jul 8th 2011 12:32AM
Does every puke in the world live in Florida or is it just me??
Shawn Jul 7th 2011 10:34PM
Nope PJ, you are not the only puke who lives in Florida! You have company, a lot of company! Just look around......... if you're in Florida!
Donald Jul 8th 2011 2:38AM
I have been ripped off a lot in Florida. My regret is the housing market is so bad that I am stuck here.
stabile007 Jul 7th 2011 8:36PM
The round stickers don't mean it was hand searched by security they put a piece of paper in their luggage for that that says "We searched your bag". All the sticker means is that it was screened usually through X-Ray machines.
People should not be putting valuables into checked luggage it is the most insecure place to put stuff. I have seen behind the counters at airports and luggage gets left everywhere anyone has access to it its generally a mess. You know how many baggage handlers steal stuff? Tons, its scary there are entire theft rings at airports I never put anything I care about in checked luggage there is no security to monitor it and it all goes through hands. At the airport I worked at the baggage handlers union fought the installation of cameras because they were worried too many of their people would be fired. Its ridiculous I agree but I won't jump to any conclusion saying it must be TSA because it was stickered.
Frankly I think its more often then not the baggage handlers TSA people won't know whats in the checked luggage without opening it (X-rays down there are automated) and that means doing some sort of work and frankly I think they are too lazy for the most part. Though I am not surprised by this news either.
chuck Jul 7th 2011 9:00PM
and there have been many rings busted...... JFK, LGA, LAS... and on and on... most caught by Federal employees and by tips.......... and you are right by the way it all works.............
ddm Jul 7th 2011 11:32PM
If you read the article it is about carry-on luggage NOT checked. The security checkpoint is where you and your carryon luggage get checked. Baggage handlers are not involved in this mess
BrianM Jul 7th 2011 8:40PM
The TSA are a bigger threat to flight security than all of the passengers going through the scanners combined. Their stellar hiring standards quality of work are a testament to why they are as useless as they believe the rest of the public is stupid.
john mournian Jul 7th 2011 8:49PM
I lost a laptop, a super sharp cam corder, and old running shoes; I cannot truthfully
blame TSA, but when I find their stupid little tag telling me that they inspected my bag,
I have my doubts as to their true effectiveness. Now we are being told that "certain
people" are having explosives inserted into their body for detonation later somewhere!
If this is true__just start imposing ethnic profiling! We do not need most of these
people in the USA just because they feel the need to shop at TARGET & Macy's.
The really bad thing is that this so-called position allows the TSA to use all of their
tricks to mess up our trips with guise of protection for all of us. I don't see other
countries being so kind as to allow mass entry.....STOP IT!
JSM
okcoxg Jul 8th 2011 12:03AM
That garbage about people having explosives planted inside their bodies is just the excuse they come up with to rationalize what they did to that poor 91 year old man that had a hip replacement.
richard Jul 8th 2011 12:08PM
You folks that are always talking this crap about not letting anyone else to enter the U S just tickle the living crap out of me. Don't let them dang ( furiners) in, turn them around and send them back home. Did you ever stop and think your great great grand parents probably came from overseas after or during the war, just fleeing their war torn countries trying to find a better life for their familys in the land of plenty! Were they anymore deserving than present day people in the same situtation? In your book yes, but your book only has a couple pages and one of them is blank. Slacken up, don't be so full of hate, lifes too short to waste hating everyone, enjoy it instead, your last day will be here sooner than ya think, let it go!