Edmundo Dasilva: Allegations, Charges, and TSA Response

Edmundo Dasilva is a 37-year-old Transportation Security Administration officer from Holly Springs, North Carolina, who was arrested in Florida in February 2024 and charged with four felonies, including human trafficking, after allegedly traveling to meet what he believed was a 15-year-old girl being offered for commercial sex by her guardian. He worked as a Transportation Security Officer at Raleigh-Durham International Airport at the time. TSA said shortly after the arrest that he was no longer performing any duties with the agency.¹

What Investigators Say He Did

Dasilva was caught in an eight-day undercover investigation run by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office between February 22 and February 29, 2024. An undercover detective posted an ad on Reddit posing as a human trafficker offering a fictitious 15-year-old foster daughter for commercial sex acts. Dasilva allegedly responded, exchanged texts with the detective, and wrote that he and the teen could “make out, then maybe go from there.”² He told the detective he would be traveling through Florida and falsely claimed he had just turned 18.¹

According to investigators, Dasilva believed he was paying $100 to the fictitious father for sex with the girl. He met the undercover detective at a hotel, handed over $60 in cash, and was arrested as he tried to enter the room where he believed the teenager was waiting. Deputies said he had two condoms in his pockets.¹

After his arrest, Dasilva told investigators he was not there for sex. He said he was conducting his own investigation and that his “TSA training” had prompted him to look into the situation himself.²

The Charges

Dasilva was booked into the Polk County Jail on four felony counts:³

Human trafficking
Use of a computer to solicit a guardian
Traveling to meet a minor
Use of a two-way communication device to commit a felony

The trafficking count is a life felony under Florida Statute 787.06, which covers trafficking for commercial sexual activity involving a child or a person believed to be a child. The statute provides that a defendant’s ignorance of the victim’s age is not a defense, and the consent of a victim under 18 is not a defense either.⁴ The charges remained at the state level in Polk County; no federal charges were reported.¹

TSA’s Response

In a statement to CBS 17, TSA said: “The TSA does not tolerate unethical, immoral or illegal conduct. The individual charged with this crime is no longer performing any duties with our agency and we pledge to fully cooperate with the ongoing law enforcement investigation into this matter.”¹ The agency’s code of conduct requires employees to report an arrest to a supervisor within 24 hours and to avoid conduct, on or off duty, that would cause the public to question their reliability, judgment, or trustworthiness. Violations can lead to corrective action up to removal from federal service.⁵

Where the Case Stands

As of the most recent available reporting in March 2024, Dasilva had been booked into the Polk County Jail on the four felony charges. No bond, plea, trial date, or conviction has been reported. He does not appear on a sex offender registry in the available records; that kind of registration typically follows a conviction. TSA described the matter as an ongoing law enforcement investigation in its public statement.¹

1
CBS 17. Holly Springs Man, TSA Agent Charged in Florida Sex Trafficking Sting
2
Yahoo News. NC Man, TSA Agent Charged in Florida Sex Trafficking Sting
3
CBS 17. Florida Sheriff Says Holly Springs Man Wanted Lewd Acts With Minor Before Birthday Party
4
Florida Legislature. Florida Statute 787.06 – Human Trafficking
5
TSA. TSA Management Directive 1100.73-5 – Employee Responsibilities and Code of Conduct