For a company hired to screen passengers at the nation's largest airports, Argenbright Security has proved unnervingly lax at screening its own employees. Last year, following an investigation at the Philadelphia airport, Argenbright pleaded guilty to criminal charges of falsifying employee backgrounds, which had led to the hiring of those whose records included drug possession and aggravated assault. The FAA imposed a probation, and Argenbright's then parent company, AHL, paid $1.6 million in penalties.
Argenbright, which is based in Atlanta, maintained that the breaches were perpetrated by "rogue" managers in Philadelphia. Last month, however, a new Department of Transportation investigation detailed...
