Sting nets 15 arrests at Texas airport AUSTIN (AP) =97 Federal authorities on Tuesday arrested 15 people and issued= =20 warrants for 13 others on charges of giving false information to gain=20 access to secure areas at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.=20 Authorities began Operation Tarmac in October 2002, said Johnny Sutton,=20 U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas. The suspects provided=20 false information on application forms to obtain access badges to secure=20 areas, authorities said. More than 5,000 employees with access to secure=20 areas were screened. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael McCaul said the=20 suspects are in the country illegally. Although none of them are suspected= =20 of plotting terrorism, he said authorities wanted to shut down any security= =20 risk. "In the post-September 11th environment, we must take extra=20 precautions to ensure the flying public's safety," Sutton said. "Allowing=20 individuals who are in the United States illegally and have intentionally=20 and repeatedly falsified their identities to have acces to the most secure= =20 areas of the Austin airport poses an unnecessary security risk," Sutton=20 said. The suspects lied to obtain security clearance forms, which allowed=20 access to all restricted and secured areas of the airport, including the=20 control towers and the interior and cargo holds of planes, investigators=20 said. Some of the defendants used false Social Security numbers, false=20 visas, permits and other U.S. documents, authorities said. The suspects=20 appeared before a federal magistrate judge on Tuesday. The charges carry=20 penalties ranging from five to 10 years in prison and up to $250,000 in=20 fines if convicted. *************************************************** The owner of Roger's Trinbago Site/TnTisland.com Roj (Roger James) escape email mailto:ejames@escape.ca Trinbago site: www.tntisland.com Carib Brass Ctn site www.tntisland.com/caribbeanbrassconnection/ Steel Expressions www.mts.net/~ejames/se/ Site of the Week: www.pichemas.com TnT Webdirectory: http://search.co.tt *********************************************************