HONOLULU- Former Transportation Security Administration supervisor Dawn Nikole Keka, 35, pled guilty to one count of theft Friday in Honolulu District Court for stealing $200 from an undercover agent at Kona International Airport.
The sting operation took place on the morning of March 11 after Japanese tourists complained to the TSA about missing money from their carry-on bags.
U.S. Attorney Michael Song told Khon2 the government would ask for jail time and 300 hours of community service when Mrs. Keka is sentenced on July 26 by U.S. Magistrate Judge Barry Kurren. Under federal guidelines the maximum sentence for misdemeanor theft is one year in jail and a $100,000 fine.
However it's not the amount of money that was taken but rather the attention that Mrs. Keka's crime has garnered that forced the government's hand in asking for time behind bars.
"This has been a public relations nightmare for the TSA who doesn't want or need this kind of press," said Song, while laying out the particulars of the case before the federal judge.
Song added that Keka had "failed miserably" in her role of authority and the government suspects she had targeted "several" Japanese tourists in the months leading up to the sting.
During the hearing Keka, a resident of Kailua-Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii, wiped away tears as her husband Justin sat in the audience of the courtroom.
Keka said she had not specifically targeted a Japanese tourist for theft, but Song disputed that claim, saying video shows Keka examining other handbags of Japanese nationals while her back is turned to a surveillance camera.
"Because she knew about the camera she inspected it that way," said Song.
Keka told the judge it was a crime of opportunity and not something she had planned ahead of time.
"I didn't think about it, I just grabbed it and put it in my pocket," she said.
During the sting a female TSA agent placed thirteen one hundred dollar bills inside a Hello Kitty backpack, a brand popular with young Japanese women. The agent then proceeded through a security line which at the time was being staffed by Keka.
After discovering two liquid containers inside the backpack, Keka discarded the items and proceeded to search the bag more thoroughly. It's during this search that Keka removed two of the thirteen hundred dollars bills and stuffed them into her pocket.
Keka was then taken to a private screening room where another TSA agent asked her to empty her pockets. Keka revealed the two crumpled one hundred dollar notes that were taken from the Hello Kitty backpack, as well as a jumbled $20 bill and a $10 bill.
Defense attorney Salina Althof said Keka's husband had been unemployed for several months prior to the sting operation and one of the couple's three children had racked up a $600 dentist bill. Althof is hoping her client can avoid any jail time but agreed 300 hours of community service would be appropriate.
Kurren was hesitant to sentence Keka after the guilty plea, citing the need for a pre-sentencing report to determine more about her background and the circumstances that led up to the theft.
