Features

Local man arrested in airport security sting

Daily Planet Wire Report
Friday April 26, 2002

The FBI announced Thursday that four Oakland International Airport employees have been arrested on suspicion of failing to disclose prior felony convictions when applying for airport badges that gave them access to secure areas of the airport. 

Thomas Burgess, 36, and Ulysses Walker, 46, both of Oakland, and Donald Coleman, 33, of Berkeley, were arrested Monday and Mario DeAngelo Lloyd, 27, of Berkeley, was arrested Wednesday, authorities said. 

In addition, a federal complaint was filed and a summons issued  

Thursday for Charles Mathis, 33, of Pittsburg. 

All of the suspects are U.S. citizens, according to FBI Special Agent in Charge Bruce J. Gebhardt of the San Francisco office. The men were arrested on federal charges of making false statements. The arrests were made at Oakland airport and at the residences of those charged. 

The arrests followed a three-month joint investigation by the FBI, Department of Transportation and Federal Aviation Administration called Operation Tarmac. The operation focused on the falsification of airport badge applications, authorities said. 

The alleged falsification occurred when the suspects failed to disclose prior felony convictions within the past 10 years. The allegedly falsified applications were relied upon by the FAA for issuance of SIDA, or security identification display area, badges. These badges allow the employee unrestricted access to secure areas of the airport, the FBI said.