David Easley, a 39-year-old resident of Georgia, has been sentenced to 26 months of supervised release, with the first two months to be served on home confinement. The sentence was handed down by United States District Judge Gail A. Weilheimer after Easley pleaded guilty to one count of evading airport security at Philadelphia International Airport.
According to court records and statements made during the proceedings, on March 9, 2024, Easley was scheduled to travel from Philadelphia to Atlanta. Surveillance footage showed him using an identification badge assigned to an airport employee—despite never having worked at the airport—to enter a secure area by typing in a passcode on a keypad. This allowed him to bypass Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screening and access restricted areas between the public ticketing area and the terminal where passengers board flights.
Easley later used another door to enter the sterile terminal area designated for screened passengers. TSA officers encountered him during random inspections intended to prevent unauthorized access and prohibited items from entering secure parts of the airport.
The investigation into this incident was conducted by the FBI, and Assistant United States Attorney Priya De Souza led the prosecution.
United States Attorney David Metcalf stated: “David Easley, 39, of Georgia, was sentenced to 26 months of supervised release, with the first two months on home confinement, by United States District Judge Gail A. Weilheimer for evading security requirements at Philadelphia International Airport.”
