ATLANTA -- A former TSA officer for Atlanta's airport admitted in federal court to faking a cancer diagnosis so he could receive donated leave hours from his colleagues.
Marc Bess, 42, pleaded guilty to theft of government funds. He will be sentenced July 24.
Prosecutors said Bess began his scheme in September 2009. He submitted three applications and several doctor's notes to the TSA, claiming he was being treated for abdominal cancer. The letters described the radiation therapy and surgical procedures the defendant had supposedly undergone.
In reality, Bess was never diagnosed with cancer, prosecutors said. Investigators later determined at least two of Bess's notes were dated several months after the doctor who purportedly wrote them passed away.
