Melbourne Man Sentenced to US Jail for Assaulting TSA Officer
Thomas Jesse Bingham will serve four months in federal prison for an altercation at Los Angeles International Airport.
A Melbourne man, Thomas Jesse Bingham, 35, has been sentenced to four months in jail after pleading guilty to simple assault on a federal officer. The incident occurred on March 15 at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).
According to court documents, Bingham confronted a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agent in a bathroom, accusing the officer of taking his bag and passport. Bingham then followed the officer to a public area, where he assaulted him. During the altercation, Bingham slammed the officer into a parked United Airlines golf cart, causing pain to the victim's back and hand. Bingham also grabbed the officer's identification lanyard, pulled him by the hair, and pushed him against a glass wall.
Airport police arrested Bingham at the scene. His belongings were later found at a restaurant in Terminal 7. Bingham was subsequently taken into custody again at LAX as he attempted to board a flight to the United Kingdom.
Bingham is ordered to surrender to the US Marshals Service on October 19 to begin serving his sentence at a federal correctional facility in California. Following his sentence, Bingham could face deportation proceedings.
