ex-TSA workers accused of stealing from Paris Hilton (and others)

As reported over here from here.

Airport thefts bring charges

Ten people, including eight ex-TSA workers, are accused of stealing from travelers such as Paris Hilton.

From staff and news services

Misdemeanor theft cases are being filed against 10 employees and a transient suspected of pilfering the personal property of travelers at LAX, including hotel heiress Paris Hilton and singer Keyshia Cole, the City Attorney's Office announced Thursday.

Most of the alleged thieves were employed by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Transportation Security Administration, said Nick Velasquez of the City Attorney's Office. Their names will be made public at a news conference today.

"We're a public law office, so whenever there's a significant announcement or a significant legal action being taken, it's our duty and obligation to tell the public ... that we are working to ensure the safety and security of travelers at LAX," Velasquez said.

Eight of the defendants are TSA employees who work at Los Angeles International Airport and two are employees of an LAX subcontractor, Velasquez said.

TSA spokesman Nico Melendez said the incidents occurred over the Past two years and nobody to be named today still works for the agency.

"Some of them have not been working for us for two years," he said.

City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo will be joined for a news conference about the matter today by Larry Fetters, federal security director for the TSA; Jack Hook, special agent in charge with the Department of Homeland Security-Office of the Inspector General; and LAPD Capt. Bob Green, commanding officer of the LAPD-LAX Field Services Division.

Delgadillo is expected to announce the launch of a new "LAX Security Enhancement Initiative," according to Velasquez.

 

Technorati tags: paris hilton, airport security, TSA, charges, police, stealing, celebrity

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