Judge delays Fort Hood shooting rampage trial

FORT HOOD, Texas (AP) — The Army psychiatrist accused of killing 13 people during the Fort Hood shooting rampage will go on trial in June, a military judge ruled Thursday after agreeing to a three-month delay.

Attorneys for Maj. Nidal Hasan argued during a hearing at the Army post in Texas that they still lacked key evidence needed to prepare for the March trial. Prosecutors insisted defense lawyers didn’t need more time, saying one defense expert was hired nearly two years ago and that he alone has already racked up about $250,000 in fees billed to the government.

The defense had asked for a July trial, but the judge settled for June 12. The trial is expected to last about two months. . . . . (read the rest)

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Police: TSA agent at JFK airport stole $5K from passenger

New York City (AP) — Police say a Transportation Security Administration agent stole $5,000 in cash from a passenger’s jacket as he was going through security at John F. Kennedy International Airport, the latest in a string of thefts that has embarrassed the agency.

Alexandra Schmid took the cash from the jacket of a Bangladeshi passenger as it went along an X-ray conveyor belt at around 8 p.m. Wednesday, said Al Della Fave, spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s police force.

“In viewing the surveillance video, we observed her removing the currency from the victim’s jacket pocket,” Della Fave said. The video showed Schmid wrapping the money in a plastic glove and taking it to a bathroom, he said.

The money hasn’t been recovered, Della Fave said. Police are investigating whether Schmid gave it to another person in the bathroom.

The 31-year-old Schmid was arrested on a charge of grand larceny and suspended pending an investigation. Her attorney’s name wasn’t immediately known.

Schmid, who lived in Brooklyn, had worked for the TSA for 4½ years, TSA spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein said. “We do hold our officers to very high standards, and we have a zero tolerance policy for theft in the workplace,” Farbstein said.

It’s the latest in a series of recent theft allegations against TSA employees:  . . . (read the rest)

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Federal Air Marshals IG Report (DHS IG):

Allegations of Misconduct and Illegal Discrimination and Retaliation in the Federal Air Marshal Service (PDF, 117 pages – 5.70 KB)

Spotlight (PDF, 1 page – 153 KB)

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