TSA Employees Plunder iPads

April 17, 2012
by Bryan Nash


Put the iPad in your carry-on.

A 36-year-old Transportation Security Administration baggage inspector, Clayton Keith Dovel, has been snatching iPads from luggage.
Police got on Dovel’s trail after a traveler electronically traced his missing iPad to Dovel’s home.

Eight iPads have been recovered. Dovel has been charged with theft by a public servant of items valued at up to $20,000.

TSA responded to the incident: “The unacceptable behavior of this individual in no way reflects the dedication of our nearly 50,000 transportation security officers who work tirelessly to keep our skies safe.”

But Dovel is not the first TSA employee to have sticky fingers around Apple products.

Michael Pujol, a screener at Miami International Airport, was cuffed back in January for stealing the electronic gizmo. Pujol and his wife, Betsy Pujol Salazar, were selling the hot items on Craigslist.

Nelson Santiago was charged with grand theft last year for the same operation. Santiago, who worked in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., would steal electronic items and then sell them on Craigslist — often finding a buyer before the end of his shift.

Santiago’s extra income added up to about $50,000.

“They should have more accountability to see what’s really going on behind the scenes,” said Stephen Cu, one of the victims of Pujol’s theft. “You can’t just go through people’s luggage and take things.”

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