Originally Posted by
TSORon
Incorrect. TSA cannot "charge" anyone with a crime, we do not have that authority. We are a regulatory agency, not a law enforcement agency. At most, and only under specific circumstances, the TSA can claim a regulatory violation and assess a civil penalty. A penalty that can be fought and/or appealed in a civil court.
To-may-to, to-mah-to.
You can call a LEO over and claim that a passenger is "interfering with the screening process", and strongly encourage the LEO to have the passenger arrested on that basis. Just like Phil Mocek.
Sure, Phil was found not guilty. And he had to spend a ton of money (or a ton of other people's money) to defend himself from those unjust charges.
Same thing applies to a civil penalty. Sure, the passenger can appeal, but then they've got to spend a ton of money to defend themselves in court, even if they eventually win.