TSA Civil Penalty Defense
Are you facing a civil penalty from the Transportation Safety Administration (“TSA”)? Are you a passenger being accused of committing a security violation for carrying a prohibited item into a TSA checkpoint area, sterile area, or onboard an aircraft? Are you a passenger being accused of carrying prohibited items in your checked baggage? Is the TSA fining you for circumventing or interfering with the TSA screening process? If so, call your TSA defense attorney at The Ison Law Firm before you lose the opportunity to appeal the TSA’s allegations and have your case heard before an Administrative Law Judge.
If you’ve received a TSA Notice of Violation or TSA Notice of Proposed Civil Penalty in the mail, you have five options in moving forward. Those options include:
1. Paying the proposed TSA Civil Penalty;
2. Submitting evidence for consideration;
3. Declaring an inability to pay and request reduction in the TSA Civil Penalty;
4. Requesting an Informal Conference with a TSA attorney; or,
5. Requesting a formal hearing before an Administrative Law Judge.
It is recommended that you do not respond to your TSA Notice of Proposed Civil Penalty before a competent TSA defense attorney has an opportunity to review your case and a develop a strategy for the best outcome possible. Most often, it is not the best course of action to pay the proposed TSA Civil Penalty without first talking with TSA counsel – as it may be possible to have the penalties reduced or dropped through negotiation. In that, requesting an Informal Conference with a TSA attorney is almost always the best choice to make when you receive a TSA Notice of Proposed Civil Penalty. Be careful, however, it is always best to consult with a TSA defense attorney prior to talking with an attorney for the TSA, as anything you say or do during an Informal Conference could be used against you later on.