A convicted felon from New Jersey with a US Marshal’s badge attempted to board a plane with an AR-15, two loaded Glock handguns, another handgun, a .308 rifle, a spring-loaded knife, a Taser, ammunition and other weapons in his checked baggage, while in a completely unrelated story, the US Marshals Service reported data on its computer systems were breached by a hacker.
From NBC News: Seretse Clouden attempted to board a flight on December 30th from Newark, New Jersey to Fort Lauderdale, apparently with an overall goal of becoming a Florida Man. One of the convicted felon’s bag was chosen for a routine screening by TSA agents, who found two Glock .40 caliber handguns loaded with 15-round magazines and a tactical vest bearing the words “Deputy Marshal.” Upon questioning by law enforcement, Clouden admitted to not being a federal marshal or any law enforcement officer, nor did he have a license to possess or transport the weapons. After real cops off-loaded his other baggage, they found his arsenal, plus a fake US Marshals badge and forged credentials. He was indicted Monday by federal prosecutors for unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition by a convicted felon among other charges.
In other news, also reported by NBC News, the US Marshals Service reported identifying a highly effective hack that breached a large amount of data and files in its internal system, including files on operations and evidence, as well as personally identifiable information about subjects of Marshals Service investigations, employees of the agency, and third parties who had information in the systems for other reasons.