Recently, two former TSA screeners, 44-year-old Coumar Persad and 31-year-old Davon Webb were convicted of stealing $40,000 from a passenger’s luggage at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York. The amount of cash and the involvement of TSA officers obviously makes the story notable. However, what I found quite remarkable was the sentence that they received; six months in jail and five years probation. That is a remarkably light sentence for federal employees involved in a major theft while using public authority and resources.

The men worked together with Persad calling Webb to tell him that his x-ray screen spotted cash. Webb, who worked in another baggage area, then marked the bag with red tape. Persad later intercepted the bag in another baggage handling area and removed the cash. The men then divided the money in a bathroom.

That would constitute grand larceny, but they were given a sentence that falls on the border with a misdemeanor.