Jan. 7 (UPI) — A top-ranking Transportation Security Administration official has been arrested on charges of exploiting a family member with dementia.
Maxine McManaman, the assistant federal security director of the TSA, was taken into custody by U.S. Customs and Border Protection at the Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport on December 28 after being arrested on charges of forgery, which is a third-degree felony, NBC News reported.
The warrant was issued by the Port St. Lucie, Florida Police Department.
Florida officials began their investigation in April after reports of elder abuse, according to an incident report obtained by WPTV, which accuses McManaman of crafting a false form involving the deed of the family home.
A quitclaim, which is used to transfer a claim on property from one party to another, was written in Florida by McManaman on Dec. 5, 2022. It listed her and her father, Delroy Chambers Sr., as the grantee, the report said.
Officials said the quitclaim purposely did not include any Jr. or Sr. designation.
McManaman’s brother, Delroy Chambers Jr., was granted power of attorney after their mother, the sole owner of the home, fell ill, Atlanta Fox affiliate WAGA reported.
Police said that Chambers Jr. could not have signed the quitclaim on that date because he was in Atlanta.
“Maxine McManaman and Delroy Chambers, Sr. were determined to have both falsified the quitclaim deed,” police said.
The incident report also accuses Chambers Sr. of failing to properly care for his ailing wife. He was arrested on December 20 in Port St. Lucie on charges of exploitation of an elderly or disabled adult, forgery, and simple neglect of an elderly or disabled adult. He has been released from the St. Lucie County Jail on bond. Chambers Sr., 80, denied the abuse allegations.
“It’s a family thing,” he told WAGA.
McManaman was detained at the Clayton County Jail in Georgia awaiting extradition to St. Lucie County. She told authorities during a recorded call that her brother has made these allegations multiple times, according to a probable cause statement.
TSA has said it is aware of McManaman’s arrest, and that she is on leave pending further law enforcement action for a “non-work related charge.”
“TSA holds its employees to the highest professional and ethical standards and has no tolerance for misconduct on or off-duty. Any employee who fails to meet our fundamental ethical standards is held accountable,” a spokesperson said Friday.