Police arrested a Transportation Security Administration agent Tuesday for stealing from travelers passing through New York's John F. Kennedy Airport, according to ABC News.

TSA baggage scanner Sean Henry, 32, was arrested in what was reportedly a "sting operation" conducted by the TSA and Port Authority Police Department. Officials from both sides worked together to plant decoy bags containing electronic devices that are then passed through airport screening tests, according to The Associated Press.

Henry was found leaving the airport with two iPads in his backpack (both items part of the sting) and other electronic devices he had stole from passengers, according to the report.

Police charged Henry with grand larceny and official misconduct, and TSA spokesperson David Castelveter told ABC that TSA took the necessary steps "to begin processing [Henry] for termination."

Port Authority spokesperson Steven Coleman said police also found additional stolen items in Henry's Brooklyn home.

Coleman commented on the elevated number of sting operations conducted during the holiday season, saying, "These sting operations have been growing out there to try to curb this level of luggage theft, especially as the Christmas holidays are approaching."

TSA agents accused and arrested for stealing from travelers is nothing new. In September, an ABC News investigation showed that 381 TSA officers were fired for theft between 2003 and 2012.

Police arrested 30-year-old Nelson Santiago on two counts of grand theft for stealing around $50,000 worth of electronics over the past six months from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport's Terminal 1.

A Continental Airlines employee saw Santiago, a TSA employee since 2009, earlier this week take an iPad out of a person's luggage and hide it in his pants, according to authorities. The incident prompted his arrest and Santiago, who later admitted to stealing electronics from bags he had screened, was found by detectives to have stolen an estimated amount of $50,000 worth of items over the past six months. Police said he no longer works with the TSA.

Tags
Ipad