Newark TSA Screener Accused Of Robbing Travelers

NEWARK, N.J. (AP/CBS 2) -- Federal authorities say a security screening supervisor stole as much as $700 a day from travelers passing through his checkpoint at Newark Liberty International Airport.

Michael Arato, 41, of Ewing was arrested Tuesday following a five-week investigation.

Investigators said Arato also accepted kickbacks and bribes from a co-worker who also stole cash from passengers' bags. That person, who was not named, has been cooperating with the federal investigation.

The U.S. Attorney's Office sid Arato and the "co-schemer" targeted non-English-speaking victims, particularly women returning to India on a daily flight from Newark.

An after-hours message left for Arato's lawyer, assistant federal public defender John Yauch, was not immediately returned.

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