Miami, Florida, Miami International Airport MIA terminal, Transportation Security Administration TSA, check-point, travel advisory sign, firearms guns prohibited. (Photo by: Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
A former marine and convicted felon has been charged after he attempted to board a plane in New Jersey in December with guns, a taser and a counterfeit U.S. Marshals badge, according to authorities.
Seretse Clouden was charged with unlawfully possessing firearms and ammunition. Additionally, he was charged with fraudulent possession of an identification document in the Dec. 30 incident, News Break reports.
The New Jersey-native was taken into custody at Newark Liberty International Airport when he tried to board a flight while carrying an AR-15 rifle, handguns, a Taser, and the aforementioned fake U.S. Marshal’s badge.
Clouden is a previously convicted felon, according to the outlet.
The federal complaint states TSA agents discovered two .40 caliber Glock magazines along with ammunition during a routine luggage check of Clouden’s bags, which were destined for Fort Lauderdale.
Agents also located a ballistic vest carrier with the words “Deputy Marshal,” prompting the TSA officials to notify the U.S. Marshals.
Law enforcement then uncovered several weapons, including an AR-15 rifle, a .40 caliber handgun, a Taser, a spring-loaded knife, and an expandable baton after Clouden’s luggage was taken off the plane.
They also found a .308 caliber rifle, “United States Marshal” identification papers showing Clouden’s name and photograph, and a badge.
However, the U.S. Marshals Service confirmed to the outlet that Clouden is not and has never been a member of their agency.
A 2016 guilty plea for unlawful possession of a weapon precludes him from ever possessing firearms and/or ammunition.
Clouden now faces and a maximum sentence of 10 years as well as a fine of up to $250,000 for the gun charges.
He could also be looking at a maximum sentence of 15 years for the fraudulent possession of an identification document, according to News Break.
Meanwhile, TSA spokesperson R. Carter Langston said that while there is a legally permissible way to carry guns in checked luggage, that would have involved declaring it with the airline, packing it properly in a hard-sided and locked case, and having a valid permit for the firearm in one’s jurisdiction.
Since Jan. 1, the TSA have seized over 800 firearms at airport checkpoints across the country.
The agency set a record last year by intercepting over 6,500 firearms at 262 airport checkpoints in the U.S., with 88 percent of them being loaded, the outlet reports.
