A TSA employee at LaGuardia is facing charges for allegedly sexually assaulting a female passenger.
Officials say a 21-year-old woman was exiting her flight from Salt Lake City Tuesday when 40-year-old Maxie Oquendo told her she needed to go to the airport bathroom in order to be screened for weapons.
Then the TSA worker allegedly had the victim lift up her shirt, unzip her pants and inappropriately touched her.
Oquendo is expected is facing charges of unlawful imprisonment, sexual abuse and harassment in Queens Criminal Court.
If convicted, Oquendo could spend up to one year in jail.
The TSA says he has been fired.
TSA workers must conduct pat-downs in designated checkpoint areas and they cannot be conducted by a person of an opposite gender without a witness present.