Monday

July 22, 2019

On behalf of the Air Marshal National Council and all of the flying Federal Air Marshals we
represent, please allow this letter to serve as our complaint of unsafe, unhealthy, and
hazardous conditions of employment created and fostered by the Federal Air Marshal Service.

The Federal Air Marshal Service is the law enforcement component of the Transportation
Security Administration and as such falls under the purview of the Office of Special Counsel.


The Federal Air Marshal Service has created a substantial and specific danger to public health or
safety, and by doing so is responsible for gross mismanagement of its workforce by causing the
following:

1) Most flying Federal Air Marshals (FAMS) are scheduled to work all three shifts, day,
evening, and midnight just about every week.
2) Most air marshals cross between 5-10 time zones a week.
3) Last minute schedule changes are routine, thus there is very little consistency in the
start times.
4) The Agency does not employ policies when scheduling air marshals, instead the agency
uses “guidelines” that have resulted in some cases where Air Marshals have been forced
to work over 20 hours without rest. In fact, in some cases these guidelines do not call
for a maximum length to a duty day. (See the Federal Air Marshal Mission Scheduling
Guidelines).
5) TSA commissioned a sleep study on air marshals where it found that the vast majority of
Air Marshals most likely suffer from acute and undiagnosed sleep disorders. The study
also cited a disturbingly high abuse of alcohol amongst Air Marshals due to the extreme
sleep deprivation. The study also found about 80% of Air Marshals are sleep deprived.
6) The Agency has in the past felt the need to send TSA Office of Inspection agents
overseas to conduct sobriety checks of Air Marshals.
7) The agency actually gave training classes where it recommended Air Marshals use
alcohol and melatonin to assist with sleeping.
8) Most air marshals report having to use sleeping pills in order to get sleep.
9) Federal Air Marshals schedules are not regulated by the FAA or any other agency like
airline flight crews are.
10) The Federal Air Marshal Service leads all federal agencies in medical retirements
percentage wise.
11) The Federal Air Marshal Service spends in excess of twenty million dollars a year in
OWCP, workers compensation costs. According to TSA there are only several thousand
air marshals.
12) Although not currently required by law to be recorded the agency averages about 3-5
air marshal suicides a year. Given the small workforce that would be one of the highest
suicide rates amongst any federal law enforcement agency.
 13) The sleep study commissioned by TSA stated “air marshals suffering from fatigue have
increased risk of self-injury”.
14) Recently there has been an unprecedented number of psychotic episodes suffered by
Air Marshals, to include a recent murder suicide. (See description of incidents below).
15) Recently the agency suffered its first in the line of duty death of a female Air Marshal
while in flight due to blood clots.
16) The Agency medical branch has significant evidence of numerous Air Marshals afflicted
with DVT, Deep Vein Thrombosis or blood clots.
17) The number of medical illnesses have reached epic proportions amongst flying Air
Marshals. (See specific descriptions below).
18) TSA Administrator Pekoske was given an email dated June 9, 2018 entitled
“Concerned FAMS” where he was warned that unless immediate action was taken
more tragedies would occur. Since that warning the agency has seen 4 suicides, a
murder suicide, and its first on duty death.



Specific recent examples of serious reported psychotic episodes suffered by Air Marshals:

A. February 2018 Broward County Florida, a 38-year-old Federal Air Marshal came home
after work and opened fire with his issued firearm in his house, shooting four to five
shots at what he thought were two home invaders. In fact, he was hallucinating he later
testified. The Air Marshal went on to say “he was suffering from psychosis due to
sudden withdrawal from alcohol and sleeping pills he’d been taking for years to cope
with his job’s demanding schedule”.
B. June 18, 2018 Newark New Jersey, Julian Turk a medically retired Air Marshal was
indicted for allegedly plotting to blow up his former field office.
C. October 26, 2018 New Jersey, Air Marshal Mario Vanzetta shot his wife and then shot
himself in an apparent murder suicide, leaving his three kids orphaned.
D. Fall of 2018 San Francisco Ca, a recently retired air marshal shot himself in the head in
an apparent suicide.
E. Fall of 2018 New Jersey, a recently medically retired air marshal was found dead of a
self-inflicted gunshot wound.
F. Summer of 2018 Boston Mass., a 20-year veteran Air Marshal Kevin Molan returned
home from working a red eye flight. He said he was physically and mentally exhausted
when he heard voices in his head saying he should kill himself. He then took out his
issued weapon and placed the barrel of the gun to the side of his head. He began to
depress the trigger, but then the thought of his young daughters stopped him. He said
later that his psychologist after seeing his flight schedule said “you all are headed for a
breakdown”, referring to air marshals.
G. July 20, 2019, Washington D.C., Supervisory Air Marshal William Sondervan found dead
of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.


Recent serious and fatal medical issues suffered by Air Marshals:

• Michelle (2018) a Washington based air marshal dies on duty in the bathroom of an
aircraft of a suspected blood clot.
• Clayton (2018) a Chicago based air marshal suffers a major cardiac event believed to be
blood clot related on duty.
• Joseph (2018) a Charlotte based air marshal suffers a major cardiac event believed to be
blood clot related on duty.
• Jackie (2018) a Baltimore based air marshal suffers a major cardiac event believed to be
blood clot related on duty.
• Nelson (2018) an Orlando based air marshal suffers a major cardiac event believed to be
blood clot related on duty.
• Barry Burch (2019) a recently retired air marshal suffers a major cardiac event.
• Frank Galambos (2019) a San Francisco based air marshal suffers a fatal cardiac event
believed to be blood clot related just leaving his field office.


Transportation Security Administrator David Pekoske was put on notice with evidence of the
unsafe, unhealthy, and hazardous conditions of employment when he received and
acknowledged an email titled “Concerned FAMS”, dated June 19, 2018. The air marshal that
wrote that email gave examples of several disturbing cases of psychotic episodes and an
attempted suicide, allegedly caused primarily by the air marshals flight schedule. The air
marshal went on to say, “These incidents are not anomalies. They are just a glimpse into the
toxic culture that exists in the agency today and we feel is only getting worse”.

The TSA Administrator in violation of Presidential order 12196 failed to conduct an audit or
inspection of the Air Marshals report of an unsafe, unhealthy, and hazardous condition of
employment. Several months after being notified of the dangerous conditions, the agency
suffered its first in the line of duty death, an air marshal suicide and a murder suicide involving
an air marshal, the incidents occurring within weeks of each other. As the air marshal predicted
It indeed got worse.











We respectfully request that the Office of Special Counsel investigate the complete lack of
proper independent oversight and policies governing Air Marshal scheduling and rest that has
caused this substantial and specific danger to the public and its workforces health and safety.
Further we respectfully request OSC investigate the management officials that are responsible
for creating the gross mismanagement of the agencies resources.

The agency was put on notice by its own commissioned sleep study and the recent report from
one of its own air marshals about the recognized hazard of its scheduling practices and the
conditions it forces its agents to work under.

The Air Marshal National Council and it representatives fear that if immediate action is not
taken then more tragedies and loss of life will occur.



Respectfully submitted,


Sonya Hightower LaBosco
President
Air Marshal National Council
407-733-6700
slabosco@airmarshalnc.com


David Londo
Vice President
Air Marshal National Council
757-784-3007
dlondo@airmarshalnc.com
















Copy of email delivered to the TSA Administrator:

From: Londo, David <David.Londo@tsa.dhs.gov<mailto:David.Londo@tsa.dhs.gov>>
Date: Tuesday, Jun 19, 2018, 12:17 PM
To: Pekoske, David <David.Pekoske@tsa.dhs.gov<mailto:David.Pekoske@tsa.dhs.gov>>
Subject: Concerned FAMS


Honorable David Pekoske

Sir,
I am writing to you today knowing that I maybe violating policy by skipping several layers of
command, but I feel you need to be made aware of several disturbing recent incidents in the
Federal Air Marshal Service.
Recently my good friend and a FAM with twenty (20) years of federal service came home from a
trip. He told me he was exhausted both mentally and physically and that all of a sudden he
began to hear voices inside his head. Voices that told him to put his gun to the side of his head
and pull the trigger. Its important to note my friend has been a dedicated law enforcement
officer for 20 years without any history of mental illness. Suddenly feeling completely
overwhelmed and exhausted from flying several recent international missions where he all
three shifts, a typical flight schedule for us. A schedule his psychologist later said would make
anyone have a breakdown. He drew his duty weapon, pressed the barrel to the side of his head
and began to depress the trigger. Right before pulling the trigger and ending his life, the
thought of his two young daughters flashed through his mind. The thought of his two
daughters growing up without their father was able to suppress the voices of extreme
exhaustion and confusion. His career is now over but his children still have their father. If you
ask most FAMs can tell you of a former colleague who has attempted or committed suicide.
In Florida recently a FAM whom became addicted to sleeping pills and alcohol, a problem that is
widespread in the agency from flying an unsustainable schedule, hallucinated that four people
were breaking into his house. He opened fire on these imaginary people with his duty firearm,
thankfully not injuring anyone. If you ask most FAMs can tell you of situations where they’ve
had hallucinations from sleep depravation. The FAM in this case has recently filed a whistle
blower complaint with OIG. The link below is a news article that describes the hallucinations
and the firing of his weapon.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nbcmiami.com/news/Broward-Police-Using-New-Law-
to-Seize-Guns-Like-Nowhere-Else-in-Florida-481421931.html%3famp=y
Yesterday a retired Air Marshal was indicted for allegedly planning to blow up and attack his
former field office EWK.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/articles.nj.com/essex/index.ssf/2018/06/retired_air_marshal_
plotted_revenge_on_agency_sought_explosives_info_fed_say.amp
These incidents are not anomalies. They are just a glimpse into the toxic culture that exists in
the agency today and we feel is only getting worse. We know you are attempting to bring long
needed reforms to the agency but we are not sure your voice is being heard within the agency. I
obviously can’t get into details because that will make this SSI, but I would love a chance to
speak with you about the current culture and direction of the agency. We feel the counsel you
may be getting from FAMs upper management may not paint an accurate picture of where we
are today and what needs to be done.

Respectfully submitted,
David Londo
BOS FAM