A former Philadelphia International Airport employee has been sentenced to a brief stint in prison after pleading guilty to a security violation. Tiriq Henson, a 34-year-old former wheelchair assistant at the airport, received a sentence of nine days in prison, which will be followed by two years of supervised release. The sentencing, announced by United States Attorney David Metcalf, was handed down by United States District Judge Gail A. Weilheimer, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
Henson was charged with assisting another individual, David Easley, in illegally accessing a secure area of the Philadelphia International Airport on March 9, 2024. This security breach was facilitated by Henson, who allowed Easley to use his security badge and credentials to circumvent the security checkpoint, which is a clear violation of airport regulations. Easley, who also pleaded guilty to the same offense, was sentenced to a term of imprisonment last year; their coordinated actions posed a potential threat to the security measures in place designed to protect travelers and staff alike.
The investigation into the incident was conducted by the FBI with support from the Transportation Security Administration and the Philadelphia Police Department, revealing how Henson's insider knowledge as an employee was exploited to facilitate unauthorized access. In this particular case, Easley's unvetted presence in a secure boarding area typically reserved for passengers who have undergone standard security screenings was a serious breach of protocol. Assistant United States Attorney Priya De Souza led the prosecution, culminating in Henson's guilty plea in September of the previous year.
