Ex-TSA Official Charged for Running Prostitution Ring in Maryland Hotel
A former federal security manager employed by the TSA was arrested while on the job at Dulles International Airport for running a prostitution ring out of a Crowne Plaza Hotel in Silver Spring, Maryland. According to the Washington Post, the man, 39 year-old Bryant Jermaine Livingston was involved in a prostitution scheme which involved men being escorted from the lobby of the Silver Spring hotel, to room 506 to engage in group sex for a fee. Livingston was charged with five counts of prostitution on March 16, according to police, and the case is now under investigation by the Montgomery County Police Department.
On February 15, management at the hotel tipped authorities about Livingston's off duty activities when they noticed suspicious behavior outside room 506. A manager said that a frequent guest had been escorting groups of men and women from the hotel lobby to his room, and had done so during previous stays at the hotel, reported NBC News. The room in question was registered under Livingston's name, who only paid in cash.
After receiving the call, the manager led the police officers to room 506. She knocked the door and Livingston opened it and invited the police officers to enter the room, after he had told the police that no illegal activity was taking place in the hotel room. According to Fox News, the responding officers say they saw 11 people inside the room [including] three naked females and four males attempting to get dressed. Multiple people were laying on the two beds and other people were sitting in chairs and standing in the room. Of the guests involved in the scheme, one man said he paid $100 for sex, according to authorities.
Livingstone worked as an employee for the federal Transportation Security Administration since 2002 and has since been dismissed by for his actions. The Washington Post reported that when asked to comment on the scandal, Livingstone said on Wednesday that he is innocent, and believes the TSA is acting spitefully against him because he filed a racial discrimination complaint under the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. He filed the complaint while he was still employed.
A TSA spokeswoman told the Washington Post that Livingston's employment officially expired at midnight Feb. 15.
The alleged off-duty conduct of this individual is unacceptable, and in no way reflects the integrity and professionalism of the more than 50,000 security officers who strive every day to ensure the security of the traveling public, TSA said in a public statement.
© Copyright IBTimes 2024. All rights reserved.