Airport passenger screener charged in distributing child pornography

[The abyss]

Source: philly.com

A passenger screener at Philadelphia International Airport is facing charges that he distributed more than 100 images of child pornography via Facebook, records show.

Federal agents also allege that Transportation Safety Administration Officer Thomas Gordon Jr. of Philadelphia, who routinely searched airline passengers, uploaded explicit pictures of young girls to an Internet site on which he also posted a photograph of himself in his TSA uniform.

Homeland Security agents arrested the TSA officer March 24, and he is being held without bail.


Read more: http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20110423_Airport_passenger_screener_charged_in_distributing_child_pornography.html

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[MineralMan]

1. That's terrible. He should go to prison if found guilty.

I'm wondering what this has to do with the TSA, though? Child porn offenders seem to come from all sorts of walks of life, based on the stories I read in the news. Is this one's TSA employment a factor somehow? Does this indicate that the TSA is full of child pornography viewers?

There's a teacher here who was just convicted of child pornography charges. Should people pull their kids out of school, do you think? Or just the school where he taught? What do you say? Oh, yes, he's going to prison. So should the person in your OP, if he is convicted of the charges.

[harmonicon]

4. I think the TSA connection is very important.

I haven't flown into the US for a few years, but I know that the TSA is gung-ho about their new porno-scanners, which people can opt out from in exchange for groping. While the porno scanners can store images, we've been told that TSA employees would just never do that. Of course no one should be involved with child pornography, but even a teacher doesn't have groping children and taking naked pictures of them as part of their job description.

[MineralMan]

8. How would the TSA screen against child porn violators?

If a person had never been arrested, how would they know? I'm sure the TSA does criminal background checks on all employees. So, again, how does this have anything to do with the TSA. The logic just doesn't track. He's a child porn offender, or will be if convicted. He's also a TSA employee. There's really no causal connection anywhere in that.

You don't understand my point?

[harmonicon]

10. I understand your point, but I think you're missing mine.

My point is that TSA employees shouldn't be looking at naked pictures of people or groping them. This case is only one example of why.

[MsPithy]

18. Are you kidding?

Anyone who finds the nude images of children sexually arousing, would think working for the TSA at airports is heaven on earth. They get paid to look at nude images all day long, and once in a while they actually get to fondle children, right in front of their fretting parents. If they find this work environment fulfilling enough, they may never need another source for child porn, in that case, they will never be caught. I imagine their main problem at work would be how to cover up their erections.

There are tests that determine if a man is aroused by pictures of children. If the TSA insists on these unconstitutional, unreasonable, idiotic searches, all TSA employees must be tested for sexual perversion. - I can't believe how sick this is.-

[Skratchez]

38. Yeah, if he did it, he's slime, but that doesn't indict the TSA

They are garbage in and of themselves. It's not just the invasive and only slightly carcinogenic scanning crap but the fact that in addition to all of this they are utterly useless. They can't catch anyone but more importantly, THERE IS NO ONE TO CATCH! Terrorism is just an excuse for violating the privacy and the rights of the people, pure and simple.

[hlthe2b]

7. Does this indicate that the TSA is full of child pornography viewers?

I don't know. Does it? What kind of screening do they incorporate in hiring?

[MineralMan]

9. From what I understand, they do a criminal background check on

all applicants. Just about everyone does. But if this person had never been charged or convicted of a child porn offense, that wouldn't show up, now, would it?

Schools do similar checks, and child porn offenders turn up on their payrolls too, from time to time. It's impossible to know everything about a person you hire? What test would indicate that someone is a child porn offender? I don't know of one.

[hlthe2b]

11. I know that health and especially public health agencies...

go beyond the criminal background check if you are going to be interacting directly or even indirectly with children. Most require annual seminars on the basics signs of child abuse, which includes who to call, when and how. Such would be readily modified for law enforcement to cover procedures for screening, including any needed "pat down." This latter appears clearly NOT to be in place, given the number of public incidents that are proclaimed to be "anomolies." Many health/public health agencies likewise require reporting of any unsual interactions or concerns observed by coworkers.

[DeadEyeDyck]

39. Did a few pervert Priests indicate that the Catholic Church

was full of perverts?

[hlthe2b]

41. Perhaps if you had read the earlier posts, you'd recognize...

that I was answering a rhetorical question asked by MineralMan. :shrug:

[tblue37]

15. Think of that guy giving an enhanced patdown to a child. It's relevant! nt

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

34. child molesters seek out positions that give them easy access to victims

Just look at the clergy, combine that with a culture at the TSA that refuses accountability, stonewalls oversight and shows little interest in performance or professionalism by their personal and you have a perverts dream job. Where else can a pervert ogle and grope children with impunity?

[HereSince1628]

2. This should come as no surprise...people will behave like people

which means a fraction of people who work in the TSA will behave unlawfully.

Things are bad in America, but I'm still confident enough in the law to believe this will be handled in a manner that protects the public from this particular guy with alleged unlawful habits and purulent interests.

And yes, I think it would be silly to be confident that he is the only 'bad' apple in all those bushels.

[forty6]

17. Your post makes the most sense. I have to agree. n/t

[rfranklin]

3. He involved the TSA when he uploaded image of himself in uniform...

to a kiddie porno site.

[HereSince1628]

5. Exposing his TSA uniform seems to be the least of this offense

What he did was illegal with or without the uniform showing up on the same Facebook site.

It seems on my reading he didn't ssave and post pictures from the body-scanning scatter x-ray. I hope I'm right on that. That would reveal another problem of a rather larger order of concern.

[hlthe2b]

6. Only a matter of time...

Of course that job would attract its share of sane, honorable people AND less savory types, including pedophiles. Earlier, an Atlanta TSA agent was charged after raping a woman in the airport parking lot.

Which, underscores concerns over TSA in general, and certainly their screening/hiring policies. And, yes, we all acknowledge that no screening can absolutely be fool-proof.

[truthisfreedom]

12. This does raise a serious question. What kind of people does the TSA attract as employees?

That's the bothersome part, to me. Who would want to work for the TSA? Pervs, apparently?

Their image will soon be irreparably damaged, it seems.

[forty6]

16. One person out of how many thousand TSA people?

That's what, one one hundredth of one percent?

One person arrested, maybe there are ten more, out of how many thousands?

If one policeman is arrested, does that mean that the type of people recruited by police departments are often purveyors of child porn?

Ridiculous !

[truthisfreedom]

40. It's all about the perception.

We're already concerned about them groping children (as well as adults) and naked-scanning us. This example is our worst nightmare.

Perception is a bitch. I can't look at TSA people the same after reading these kinds of stories, sorry.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

35. misc. authoritarian losers, perverts and petty thieves

The problem with staffing an agency like the TSA is simply wanting the job is reason enough to disqualify somebody.

Most ordinary people would be suicidal after a day of groping children,

[The abyss]

13. Every Joe & Suzy American needs to wake up. Then again....

Perhaps the "Ceausescu moment" will start in an airport security screening?

One too many "enhanced" examinations of a particular child?

One too many "breast" feel up on a mastectomy/cancer survivor?

A fist thrown -
-an attempted arrest?

- a raging mob having an early lunch

[SoapBox]

14. #1...in his uniform? Idiot. #2...child porn? I say castration and neutering.

I am SO over these pervs that are using children for their jollies.

Over it!

[trud]

19. Does anyone doubt

that a job that involves groping people all day is going to attract perverts? How desperate for money would a normal person have to be to take a job like that.

[kurtzapril4]

20. Oh, I dunno....

Maybe someone who wants to keep a roof over their head or food on their table? I have flown a lot recently, and here is the # of times I have been groped by a TSA agent, or sent through the "porno scanner:" ZERO.

[Initech]

21. I flew to Kentucky and back last week and wasn't subjected to one.

[Boudica the Lyoness]

25. Good for you. As long as you made it through

without having strangers look at your naked body or some strangers hands around your genitals..that's all that matters. :sarcasm:

Do you think I would be lucky with my metal artificial joint? No...people like me are guaranteed to get molested. But you don't give a shit.

[harmonicon]

26. +1 nt

[Initech]

27. I do give a shit, I think these invasive searches should be illegal.

I fly all the time. I went through one of those scanners in BOS last year when this first started. It was weird but I didnt think anything of it. But the thing I'm getting at is that they're not widely used by any stretch of the imgaination. If you have access to smaller airports - use them, the TSA agents are generally friendlier and you're less likely to get searched that way.

[Boudica the Lyoness]

23. And what did people do to keep a roof over their head

and food over the table before there was paid child molestation and fingering of the general public?

As for you flying without being molested or photographed in the nude; What do you think happens to me and all the other people with metal in their bodies? Oh wait..it's all about you isn't.

[kurtzapril4]

30. Your assumption

That every single TSA agent is a pederast and/or a groper is ridiculous. I'm sorry you get "fingered" every time you fly. I wasn't aware that they were conducting cavity searches. If you want to blame anyone, blame the 19 a-holes who flew those planes into various things on 9/11. Blame the gov't. for over-reacting. Don't blame the damn agents who are trying to make a living.

When did I ever suggest it was all about me? And who are you to judge how someone makes a living, as long as they are doing it legally?

[Boudica the Lyoness]

45. I blame cowards

Cowards who don't mind seeing innocent people molested because it makes them feel safe.

'Fingered' as in "fingers feeling my body". Why did you think that meant cavity searches?

I blame people with no common decency, who force people to submit to being humiliates in public so they can make some money. Yes they are all gropers...it's their fucking job!!!!!! To feel other people's bodies against their will. Don't give me the usual mindless shit about staying home and other cowedly mutterings.

Bank robbers, whores, drug dealers, muggers, German solders filling the ovens in WW2...ALL TRYING TO MAKE A LIVING!

[progressoid]

43. Like Doctors?

[L0oniX]

22. Why not hire priests to do the body searches too?

:crazy:

[radhika]

24. I was just thinking that n/t

[Scottybeamer70]

28. and out of all the groping and body images.......

just how many terrorists have they stopped or arrested???? This is just one more thing to get the public
ready for even more invasion of privacy. Identity chips next?

[LibDemAlways]

29. There is no government agency more useless than TSA. It

exists for the sole purpose of harassing and inconveniencing the traveling public. What sort of person would want to work groping strangers all day in the first place? This story doesn't surprise me one bit.

[TatonkaJames]

31. Like we didn't see this coming

It's all about fear. All they have to do is model the security after Israel's and passengers wouldn't have to go through this.

[proud2BlibKansan]

32. Via Facebook?

Now there's a smart man. LOL

[AllyCat]

33. And people want to know why I won't fly anywhere with my kids anymore

The train was lovely. Slow part of the journey, but they remember it fondly.

[crazyjoe]

36. Maybe Scott Ridder should apply for a job as a TSA screener

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

37. How about pervert profiling?

Shouldn't the TSA's crack squad of SPOT profilers picked this guy out a kiddie diddler?

[BumRushDaShow]

42. This is now the 2nd story that I have read that happened a MONTH ago.

The other being the poor woman who fell into the sea when trying to transfer her from a cruise ship for medical attention (and who has now died).

Need I point the finger and ask about what the hell is wrong with the lamestream media (including my own hometown paper linked to here by the OP) reporting items from the past as if they were "current news"???!! Was it because of their fixation on Charlie Sheen, Lindsey Lohan, and "Will & Kate"????? :banghead:

EDIT - To add that the earthquake in Japan should not have blown every friggin' story out of the news and them doing a "news dump" now is ludicrous.

[Nossida]

44. this Story

Has gone international.

[Odin2005]

46. All TSA agents are fucking perverts.

If they weren't they would have all quit.