Meet Pythias Brown. Until recently, he was a TSA screener at Newark airport, and if you’re missing any pricey electronics, you might have Mr. Brown to thank for it. He’s accused of stealing more than $200,000 worth of electronics, including a $47,000 camera from HBO. Oddly, it was CNN that helped bust the “one man crimewave” when an employee noticed some of their equipment being sold on eBay.
As you can see from the above screen grab, Mr. Brown, like so many other eBay thieves, practiced excellent customer service. His customers claimed to be “in love” with him, thanks to his prompt delivery and “good communication.” One customer remarked that the camera he bought was missing its instructions. Guess the owner didn’t pack them.
Mr. Brown’s bail has been set at $100,000. He faces 10 years in prison if convicted. The TSA is reportedly taking the matter “seriously.”
This sort of thing is probably more common than we want to imagine.
Found by David Johnson.
Just how does a TSA steal anything? Aren’t they there with the property owners as the stuff travels maybe 25 feet on a conveyor belt?
Gee, Homland In-Security, pawing through all of your stuff !!! Don’t we feel safer now ??? Hell of a job, Dumbya !!!
#1 probably of checked luggage no the stuff while your there. Never pack anything you care for, gf’s not valuable jewlery stolen from a suitcase. Nothing expensive but annoying. This is common, saddly.
When the TSA trains their new agents like this, it’s no wonder: http://is.gd/4bWZ
#1 – Some check-in counters take your luggage in the back to a TSA center for checking. That’s probably the situation here.
My thoughts during TSA scrutiny when flying was formally “The terrorists have won.” now I’m changing that to “The terrorists and thieves have joined forces, and are winning”. Now I’m feeling warm and fuzzy.
“Just how does a TSA steal anything? Aren’t they there with the property owners as the stuff travels maybe 25 feet on a conveyor belt?”
The TSA also does checked luggage inspections. If you have ever traveled internationally, about half the time you will find a little card inside your bag letting you know “The TSA was here”.
Let’s not forget the Dumbya and his Cronies have been LOOTING THE US TREASURY FOR ***EIGHT YEARS*** , so this is SMALL POTATOES !!! But they mush have a SCAPE-GOAT TO EXECUTE, SO THIS SCHLUB WILL DO !!!
This is why you take anything you don’t want stolen or isn’t insured in your carry on luggage. If someone wants to rob me they have to do it in person at gun point.
I see. Thanks.
Not only is traveling via metal tube expensive, uncomfortable and has a painful boarding and exit process, but our stuff may also get stolen !
I travelled from Edmonton Alberta Canada to Portland OR a few months ago, and experienced the “jostled packing” on both ends of my trip.
Everyone spends a ton of time packing carefully to make sure nothing gets broken in transit (you’ve seen them drop kick a bag or two I’m sure), only to get where you’re going to find that all your careful packing has been blown to h*ll because some idiot has the “RIGHT” to search your bag without you being present.
That’s CRIMINAL homeland security!!!!
How predictable. As a passenger, I pay for a ticket, and subjected to an identity check, forbidden to take a wide variety of items beyond a physical point at the airport and am in other ways searched and scrutinized. In short, I am treated like a criminal.
Folks working at the airport search my bags out of my view with little to no security or supervision.
Wouldn’t you think the actions of bag searchers would be recorded and carefully monitored? That they would be searched on the way in and out and what they came in with compared to what they left with? You didn’t have this GPS/laptop/camera/etc. when you came in this morning. Let’s take a look at the tape, shall we.
That clearly is not the way. The employees are treated with trust and allowed to do as they please, until they are caught–if they ever are.
Given that this fellow was so successful for so long stealing stuff and getting it out of the airport, do you really believe he could not have easily placed a bomb or other contraband in luggage any time he liked?
I’d ask what were these people thinking, but clearly they were not thinking. You’d think recording the actions of searchers and knowing what is coming in and going out would be an obvious precaution useful in refuting charges of theft.
The solution is simple, inexpensive, and effective. Its just easier to do nothing. Its not their stuff being stolen.
All I can say is THANK GOD dvorak.org is posting this kinda stuff!
#10, Scott,
Well made point. I would add that this agent was only discovered because someone saw his personal property being auctioned off on eBay. If not for that, this guy would still be stealing and passengers would be blaming the airlines.
#7 JimD
You make a excellent point, the US Treasury is being looted. Since the president can’t spend any money without approval from congress the cronies you speak of are Democrats.
This fact makes your accusation and the need for a scapegoat even more plausible.
There was a story a few weeks ago about a person buying a camera on eBay and when he went to move his vacation pictures off, there were classified pictures from British MI6. They were trying to figure out how the camera ended up on eBay. This is a perfectly logical explanation as to how that happened.
I like the comment to the consumerist.com story linked here:
YourTechSupport
3:09 PM on Tue Oct 14 2008
Maybe someone in the DoJ will notice the Bush Administration auctioning our rights, freedoms, and economy on Ebay.