Two Transportation Security Administration workers at a Denver airport allegedly conspired to manipulate the passenger screening process so that one of them could grope the genitals of attractive men, according to an investigation conducted by CBS 4.
The alleged conspiracy involves a male TSA worker who approached a female colleague sometime in 2014 about how he likes to "grope" male travelers as they go through security at Denver International Airport.
When an "attractive" male strolls through the scanning machine, the unnamed TSA agent alerts his accomplice to tell the computer the person going through is a woman, according to police reports obtained by CBS 4.
"When the scanner does this, the scanning machine will indicate an anomaly in the genital area and this allows (the male TSA scanner) to conduct a pat-down search of that area," the report says.
The two were busted when an anonymous employee alerted officials in November 2014, but for reasons unknown it wasn't until February of this year when the claims were investigated, the station reported.
A TSA security supervisor observed the duo on Feb. 9. He witnessed the alleged fondler give the nod to his accomplice and saw her "press the screening button for female" when a male passenger entered the scanner, according to the report.
The supervisor, Chris Higgins, observed the other TSA agent "conduct a pat down of the passenger's front groin and buttocks area with the palm of his hands, which is contradictory to TSA searching policy."
When Higgins questioned the woman she admitted to rigging the scanner at least 10 times, CBS 4 reported.
"These alleged acts are egregious and intolerable," the administration told the station. "TSA has removed the two officers from the agency. All allegations of misconduct are thoroughly investigated by the agency. And when substantiated, employees are held accountable."
The administration also said it tried identifying the passenger Higgins allegedly saw get fondled but he could not be found. A prosecutor declined to press charges due to a lack of complaints from victims and the unlikelihood of conviction.
