TSA Seizes $75,000 in Cash from Traveler, Tweets Picture of It, But Probably Won’t Give It Back (Updated)

The gestapo continues to steal everything from us, including our money. Instead of “cops and robbers,” here’s a case of cops or robbers, because I can’t tell who is who here.

When a passenger simply tried to take a bag filled with $75,000 in cash onto a flight at Richmond International Airport, the TSA searched his “bulky” bag and found the money.

They quickly confiscated it. The man was allowed to board his flight, albeit $75,000 lighter.

The guy was not under suspicion for any real crime other than having that much cash on himself at an airport. Apparently just having large sums of cash these days automatically equals a crime that allows the government to steal from you?

Adding insult to theft injury, one of TSA’s spokespeople decided it would somehow make the agency look that much better to then Tweet a snarky photo of the guy’s money-filled bag.

If you had $75,000, is this how you’d transport it? Just asking! TSA @ #RIC spotted this traveler’s preferred method. pic.twitter.com/lriNbivmsT

— TSAmedia_LisaF (@TSAmedia_LisaF) June 30, 2015

No, not in Amerika, Police State USA I wouldn’t. Thanks for reminding me we live in a modern version of Nazi Germany, Lisa.

Lisa, by the way, appears to be Lisa Farbstein, a spokesperson with the Office of Strategic Communications/Public Affairs at headquarters, in Arlington, Virginia. Laughingly, her bio on the official TSA website claims:

She is part of an external media team that works to place positive stories in the media with a focus on the agency’s counterterrorism mission and responds to daily media inquiries. [emphasis added]

Yes, very positive, strategic move there, ma’am. Angry citizens on Twitter shot back, calling this goon squad for exactly what it is.

.@TSAmedia_LisaF now that the public knows the exact design, color, and size of this bag and also its contents, how is this traveler safer? — KStreetHipster (@KStreetHipster) June 30, 2015

(Good point. Wait, these are all good points.)

@TSAmedia_LisaF this is why no one respects your agency.

— Dane Jasper (@dane) July 1, 2015

.@KStreetHipster @TSAmedia_LisaF No worries – the other gov’t agencies that Lisa alerted seized all of the cash, so now it can’t be stolen! — Hermes Menusco (@HermesMenusco) July 1, 2015

.@TSAmedia_LisaF it’s absolutely appalling that you’re posting photos of private citizens’ belongings. You & your agency should be ashamed. — Nicki Neily (@nickineily) June 30, 2015

@alangura @nickineily @TSAmedia_LisaF Is this why you miss all those guns and bombs, too busy posting pics of other people’s money? — Matthew Carberry (@CarberryMatthew) June 30, 2015

The truth is, it really is like TSA gestapo agent Lisa said.

Why would someone even consider they had the right or the freedom to travel on a plane with any cash, let alone a lot of cash? It’s not like this is still America or anything.

Someone asked if it is okay to carry more than $10,000 on an airplane without TSA seizing it a few years ago on Lawyers.com:

If you are carrying more up to/more than $10,000 in cash on an airplane, can TSA detain you and seize the funds?  I know some “high rollers” going to Las Vegas for gambling like to carry that much cash on them, and if TSA finds this on a pat-down I’m sure they will want to know 1) If the money is legal  2) If it’s drug money or not.

First off, how would you [legally] be able to prove the source/purpose for the money in this situation?  Secondly, what does the law say about travelling with large amounts of cash on domestic flights?  I only know of the standards for inernational flights and declaring it to customs.  Thanks! [sic]

And that person was told —

It is not illegal to carry large amounts of cash while traveling (foolish, certainly, IMO, since there are much better ways to get the cash to your destination). The government cannot seize the funds without first proving it to be connected with criminal activity or having a lien on the cash (e.g. from a tax assessment, etc). Absent some other fact found in the screening that would indicate criminal activity, the TSA should not detain you for long simply because you have a lot of cash on you.

— by a man who claims to have formerly been a lawyer for the federal government who went on to defend his response by saying, “Merely carrying a large amount of cash is not [sufficient probable cause], without more, sufficient basis to believe the cash is connected with illegal activity.”

Yeah, well, apparently not anymore Mr. Former Federal Government Lawyer. The former United States of America does not allow the slaves the “privilege” to travel freely anymore.

EDIT: As commenter vfrtower pointed out below, even though multiple news outlets including the video report above reported this money as seized by TSA (see here, here, here, and here for starters), Lisa later Tweeted that it wasn’t TSA.

@Frimp13 TSA didn’t seize/confiscate/take it. It alarmed the x-ray machine as an unknown and we spotted it. It’s just a curiosity.

— TSAmedia_LisaF (@TSAmedia_LisaF) June 30, 2015

Apparently there is a semantic discrepancy. However, it was TSA who alerted another fed agency (reportedly the DEA) and that is who took it. Either way, the citizen as of yet has not committed any crime, his cash was seized by the government, and the bottom line is that the TSA is the reason.

.@TSAmedia_LisaF Very #dishonest response. Cash was #seized by feds. Makes little difference whether it was @TSA. “Just a curiosity” my foot

— Dan Alban (@Frimp13) June 30, 2015

@Frimp13 @TSAmedia_LisaF right, note that TSA posts picture, DEA steals it.

— James Geluso (@atlemar) June 30, 2015

And, as we’ve seen previously, the DEA has no qualms whatsoever about rushing to TSA’s “aid” to steal people’s money for no legally justifiable reason at airports (see here and here, again for starters).

But still, a “curiosity”? So the TSA violates people’s privacy and rights at airports and you think that’s entertainment, TSA Spokeswoman Lisa?