MINNEAPOLIS — An employee of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) stationed at MSP International Airport is charged with violating the Government Data Practice Act, for allegedly leaking a video of a security breach to a media outlet and taking unauthorized pictures of female travelers.
The charges are detailed in a criminal complaint filed in Hennepin County District Court against 37-year-old Bjorn Ray Broms of Savage.
In the complaint prosecutors detail an incident that took place May 1, where a juvenile climbed on a conveyer belt and rode it into a secure area located behind the Delta Air Lines ticket counter. Video of the incident, captured on the airport's closed circuit video system, was subsequently sent to a reporter at Minnesota Public Radio (MPR).
Video and images from the airport system, which is the property of the Metropolitan Airports Commission, is considered potentially Security Sensitive Information (SSI), and sharing it without permission is considered a criminal offense.
An airport police investigator began tracing the source of the leak, and found that live and recorded views of the camera that captured the security breach with the boy on the conveyor belt were accessed by several TSA employees, including Bjorn Broms. Prosecutors say other security cameras captured images of Broms and other employees using their phones to take pictures and video of the closed circuit video screens.
Investigators say several witnesses told them Broms had taken video and still images of the May 1 incident, including one who told police the defendant told her "I should sell this to the news. I would make quite a bit of money."
After receiving a warrant to search Broms' work and personal cell phones, detectives found video and pictures of the incident involving the juvenile. Authorities say during the search, 42 images of young females wearing shorts, tight pants, tank tops and shirts that revealed the top of their breasts were recovered from Broms' personal phone. Investigators determined they were screen shots taken from closed circuit monitors during pre-flight TSA security screenings, and are non-public government data.
According to court documents, the earliest photo on Broms' was taken in March of 2020 and the most recent photo was taken in March of this year.
The charge against Broms is a misdemeanor, punishable by up to 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.
The Metropolitan Airports Commission sent KARE 11 a statement saying, "Security cameras at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport play an important role in maintaining the safety of people using the facility."
They went on to say, "Misuse of the data can violate individuals’ rights to privacy and in some cases compromise the security of the airport and of the millions of people who use it."
TSA told KARE that they are cooperating with police and Broms is on administrative leave.
KARE reached out to Broms and his lawyer and are waiting to hear back.
