TSA agent accused of stealing money from passenger at Pittsburgh International Airport

ALLEGHENY COUNTY, Pa. — A TSA agent at Pittsburgh International Airport is accused of stealing money from a passenger.

Allegheny County police say a passenger reported missing money just before 4 p.m. on Wednesday.

TSA agent Richard Bruce, 39, is suspected of intentionally taking the money during a security screening, police say. He has been charged via summons with one misdemeanor count of theft by unlawful taking and one misdemeanor count of receiving stolen property.

Allegheny County police questioned Bruce after reviewing the surveillance video. They found a wad of cash in his pocket and counted nine twenty-dollar bills.

Investigators say Bruce told them that he must have forgotten that the money was in his pocket when he returned the wallet to the victim.

Bruce has been put on administrative leave, according to the TSA. They gave Channel 11 this statement:

“The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is aware of the recent charges of one of our officers at Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) related to theft. TSA holds its employees to the highest standards of professionalism and integrity, and we do not tolerate behavior that violates these standards or the public’s trust. The individual has been placed on administrative leave pending further investigation. We are fully cooperating with law enforcement authorities in their investigation of this matter. As this is an ongoing investigation, we are unable to provide further details at this time.”

Passengers waiting to go through the security checkpoint on Thursday said they were surprised to hear an agent was charged with theft.

“Makes me nervous but I don’t want to distrust everybody. I think the majority of these people...I know many are ex-cops and ex-military that work TSA and for the most part, I’m pretty happy with my experience. Not fun, but there’s always one bad apple, so hopefully we don’t judge everybody by that person,” said passenger Shannon Baker.

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