Government

Undercover TSA Agent Successfully Bribed Ticket Agent to Smuggle Unknown Package Onto Plane

Posted on January 18, 2011 at 8:00pm by Meredith Jessup
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The United States spends millions of dollars every year to ensure that airport security is air tight after 9/11. But a cheap bribe was all it took to undermine all the body scanners and metal detectors. It took just $100 for a JetBlue ticket agent to allow an unknown package be carried onto a flight, coming from an unknown person.

Fortunately, the scenario was a controlled experiment and not a real emergency. Still, the implications of such lapses in security are clear.

On November 19, the Transportation Security Administration was testing JetBlue’s security at Charlotte Douglas Airport when an undercover TSA agent offered to bribe a JetBlue ticket agent to allow a package on board a flight bound for Boston in exchange for $100. According to Seattle PI, the ticket agent took the $100 bribe, placing the money in his pocket and proceeded to assign the package to a random passenger on the plane.

“That’s really alarming,” Anthony Amore, a former high-ranking TSA official at Logan Airport told a local Boston CBS station. “When you have multiple layers in place you hope that they all stand in the way of a terrorist or someone who wishes us harm. In this instance, many of the layers were cast aside and we were left with this one layer of checked baggage screening.”

When the local station asked the TSA for a comment, they were told, “While we cannot comment on the specifics of an open investigation, TSA can assure travelers that, like checked baggage, every package tendered at the airline counter is screened for explosives.” JetBlue confirmed that they are “fully cooperating with the TSA’s investigation“ and ”the involved crew member is no longer employed at JetBlue.”

JetBlue has reportedly fired the ticket agent in question, but concerns still remain. Just days earlier at the same airport, a teenager was able to sneak into the airport’s secured area and illegally boarded a US Airways flight. Additionally, a commercial pilot faced backlash last month after he used his position to point out security loopholes in a cell phone-captured YouTube video.

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Comments (34)

sgcustom
Posted on January 19, 2011 at 4:59pm
Well, I certainly hope that ticket agent enjoys his severance package and 4 years of money-for-nothing benefits! He IS the victim, you know!
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1minuteman
Posted on January 19, 2011 at 12:53pm
we know we know the person bribed was a tea party conservative beck and limbaugh loving right wing nut. right?isn’t that now the obvious choice by the left?
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hempstead1944
Posted on January 19, 2011 at 9:18am
Ohoooo, this really makes me feel safe and secure. The TSA is nothing more than a employment scam for pedophiles and perverts……not to mention the mentally challenged….This is why I refuse to fly anymore.
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dizzyinthedark
Posted on January 19, 2011 at 7:14am
Totally agree this person should have been arrested and gone over with a ‘fine tooth comb’.

While they are at it Jet Blue might want to look into more of their employees as on one flight I took (NYC to Ft. Lauderdale) seems the flight attendants deliberately overlooked requesting the very large muslim man sitting next to me, buckle up his seat belt. Next time, I’m going to put up a stink!
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mickrussom
Posted on January 19, 2011 at 3:00am
End the TSA. Its a piece of garbage unconstitutional worthless assault on liberty, freedom and our way of life.
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EyesWide
Posted on January 18, 2011 at 11:20pm
Time to strip the TSA of its power. Profiling is the only working answer. Make it a Federal crime to abet transit of unchecked items. Take one or two baggage and ticket fools that break the rules and ship them off to Gitmo….. then lets see how many are willing to risk it. And go back to armed Air Marshalls.
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Dark Wing Duck
Posted on January 18, 2011 at 11:19pm
Add your comments
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Nicole from CA
Posted on January 18, 2011 at 11:09pm
Jet Blue reportedly fired the ticket agent? Are you kidding? That person needs to be prosecuted for a crime. Imagine if that was not an undercover agent and the pakage was a bomb and blew up a plane killing hundreds of innocent people for $100 bribe? The ticket agent lacks a soul and a brain.
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AzDebi
Posted on January 18, 2011 at 11:06pm
AND…furthermore…I think I can “kind of” understand WHY Thanksgiving and Christmas travelers ALLOWED our government to strip away rights by feeling every passenger up who refused to be exposed to their body scanners…And, don’t even get me started on the body scanner crap…This administration took advantage of travelers knowing full well that many have made their arrangements months in advance and the holidays are a very special time that many put aside specifically to be with family…HOWEVER, I can not for the life me find any good reason why travelers are not up in arms and refusing to be treated this way!

What the hell is the matter with you America? What? What a bunch of total cowards! Do you think if the majority of travelers REFUSED to participate that they could possibly arrest EVERYONE! What’s the matter with you America? What?
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RightPolitically
Posted on January 18, 2011 at 11:03pm
Government BOONDOGGLE all the way around. No matter how much money we waste on this SO CALLED security system, this kind of thing can happen. The whole thing is a huge loss of personal freedom and liberty when traveling. Get ride of restrictions on guns aboard planes in the hands of sober, capable passengers and then we’d have security. As has been mentioned many times before by others, had there been armed passengers on flights of 9/11 things might have turned out differently!
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franknshadow
Posted on January 18, 2011 at 10:56pm
Fraudulently assigning that package to another passenger should be a federal crime if it is not.. Clear intent is indicated by that action which smells an awful lot like criminal negligence if nothing else..
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Trebor
Posted on January 18, 2011 at 10:48pm
This employee was fired? Should he not have been arrested? Interested to know more about this ticket agent.
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cheezwhiz
Posted on January 18, 2011 at 10:24pm
This is really getting out of hand.
The current security procedures are not good enough.
TSA should start cavity searches..like yesterday
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- AzDebi
  Posted on January 18, 2011 at 10:57pm
  Ghee Cheez…they didn’t say that they found the package in a “cavity”! Oh no, you’re probably right…using their obvious logic you‘ve probably accurately predicted TSA’s next move! You stay on it, okay?
  Report Post »
xoke
Posted on January 18, 2011 at 10:22pm
I hope they unionize, that will help! [end sarcasm]
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- Socco
  Posted on January 18, 2011 at 11:17pm
  If they unionize, the guy who took the $100 would get a reprimand and paid leave for counseling.
  Report Post »
- Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra
  Posted on January 18, 2011 at 11:29pm
  If they unionized, he would need the $100 bucks to pay union dues, just make sure you kick your tribute upstairs to the boss, or else.
  Report Post »
SCgunner
Posted on January 18, 2011 at 10:21pm
wonder what the cost for a bomb? $10,000?
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jbhansen
Posted on January 18, 2011 at 10:18pm
Wow. A hundred bucks is enough to risk losing your job and endangering the lives of hundreds of passengers and who knows what else?
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- CatB
  Posted on January 18, 2011 at 10:28pm
  I can’t believe people are still flying … you have the “choice” of getting felt up or x-rayed to naked? Forget it … I would rather stay home or drive. Now this .. risk getting blown up because TSA takes a $100 bribe.
  Report Post »
- Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra
  Posted on January 18, 2011 at 10:35pm
  But the undercover officer wore a low cut shirt and gave him her phone number, she couldn’t have been a terrorist.
  Report Post »
- Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra
  Posted on January 18, 2011 at 10:38pm
  Another point, when we used to try and get people to give out their passwords over the phone (internal security tests), we used females with a good voice, in over 70% of the time, guys woudl give up their passwords, and only 30% if a guy was trying to get it from them. Social engineering, guys are weak and will give in to good looking women. I would bet it was a female officer.
  Report Post »
- excelizen (a goal, not a title!)
  Posted on January 18, 2011 at 11:25pm
  It is amazing! I think the same thing when politians sell out for such minescule amounts. Sure there sell-out represents millions or billions to the country but the actual money that the politians sell out for is often relatively small. Power, I suppose is the real drive… Lord help us!!
  Report Post »
- BlazingInSC
  Posted on January 19, 2011 at 5:06pm
  @CATB – It wasn’t TSA that took the bribe. It was a JetBlue employee. GO back and reread the article. The TSA guy was the undercover agent who offered the bribe to test the JetBlue employee.
  Report Post »
Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra
Posted on January 18, 2011 at 10:18pm
It was actually Chicken McNuggets, no one knows whats in them.
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- mharry860
  Posted on January 18, 2011 at 10:49pm
  Apparently, there are 7 ingredients in the meat alone. I always thought meat was just meat, silly me.
  Report Post »
- Dark Wing Duck
  Posted on January 18, 2011 at 11:17pm
  Oh! I crapped myself with the Tanagra thing!
  I recently saw that Piccard episode! For some odd reason,i get it!
  “eyes wide open” was that my translation?
  Nuggets! Funny.!
  Im aware the absolute power corrupts, but 100 cheesy bucks worth?
  Feeling good, Lewis!
  Report Post »
- AngryMobOfOne
  Posted on January 18, 2011 at 11:21pm
  The undercover TSA agent should see how hard it is to bribe one of the TSA’s $10/hr gate gropers. My money is on TSA itself being the weakest link.
  Report Post »
- Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra
  Posted on January 18, 2011 at 11:51pm
  @Dark Wing Duck
  
  Looking Good Billy Ray
  Feeling Good Lewis
  
  As for TSA, when the walls fell
  Report Post »
- click4cheapandeasyweb
  Posted on January 19, 2011 at 12:34am
  My wife has a un-warranted fear of flying and this only gives her more ammo to use against me. Although I love our Motor Home, it’s a pain in the rear to travel with. Plus, we seem to take half the darn house when we go anywhere in it.
  
  We could be going away for 2.5 days and my wife takes clothes for 3 weeks. What’s up with that?
  Report Post »
- hkyfan36
  Posted on January 19, 2011 at 12:56am
  Excellent test TSA.. Your agency is pretty much usless. You should take that as a hint to dismantle the TSA.
  Report Post »
- bullcrapbuster
  Posted on January 19, 2011 at 2:05am
  Bribery becomes routine in a socialist society.
  Report Post »
- KICKILLEGALSOUT
  Posted on January 19, 2011 at 2:32am
  Fire the person and throw them in jail! Make an example of them!
  Report Post »
- Cemoto78
  Posted on January 19, 2011 at 8:50am
  I bet this is not the first time the ticket agent did something like this. Sounds to me like he/ she was under suspicion and the TSA followed through with it. Whoever this person is they should be publicly tried and prosecuted.
  Report Post »

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