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Air Force intel vet allegedly spiraled into Iran’s terror underworld: Timeline of deceit, hunt for spy suspect

Sun, 17 May 2026 06:00:32 -0400

The FBI announced on Thursday that it is offering $200,000 for information that leads to the arrest and prosecution of a former active-duty U.S. Air Force intelligence specialist and special agent for the Air Force Office of Special Investigations who is accused of espionage.

Monica Witt, 47, also known to use the aliases Fatemah Zarah and Narges Witt, was federally indicted in Washington, D.C. in 2018 and charged with espionage. She is accused of defecting to Iran and turning over classified information to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Here's what we know about Witt's alleged descent from American warfighter to suspected Iranian asset.

FBI OFFERS $200K REWARD FOR FORMER AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE AGENT ACCUSED OF SPYING FOR IRAN

U.S. military service

Witt was born in El Paso, Texas, and enlisted in the Air Force in 1997, shortly after her 18th birthday. According to the New York Times, she was assigned to an RC-135 reconnaissance airplane crew.

FORMER FAA CONTRACTOR PLEADS GUILTY TO SPYING FOR IRAN, SHARING PRIVATE INFO ON US AIRPORTS, ENERGY INDUSTRY

Her 2018 indictment says she was assigned to the U.S. Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California, between 1998 and 1999, where she learned Persian Farsi.

From May 1999 to November 2003, Witt was deployed to "several overseas locations in order to conduct classified missions collecting signals intelligence."

In 2002, she reportedly deployed to Saudi Arabia.

EX-AIR FORCE PILOT ARRESTED FOR ALLEGEDLY TRAINING CHINESE MILITARY PILOTS WITHOUT AUTHORIZATION

The indictment says Witt was assigned as an Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI) special agent criminal investigator and counterintelligence officer, where she deployed elsewhere in the Middle East, including Iraq in 2005 and Qatar in 2006.

She was part of a "Special Access Program" (SAP) that gave her access to classified information, including "details of ongoing counterintelligence operations, true names of sources, and the identities of U.S. agents involved in the recruitment of those sources."

"This SAP was known within the USIC by a code name," the indictment says. "The code name allowed agents to communicate in the open without disclosing the true nature of their operations."

GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEE HELD AFTER ATTEMPT TO SHARE CLASSIFIED INFORMATION WITH FOREIGN COUNTRY

Witt's time as a member of the Air Force came to an end in 2008.

Government contracting and education

From 2008 until 2010, Witt was employed as a government contractor but worked with AFOSI.

The New York Times reported that Witt received a bachelor's degree from the University of Maryland in 2008, just about the same time she left the Air Force. Thereafter, she enrolled in a graduate program at George Washington University in Middle East studies.

Witt was described as "withdrawn" and "alienated" by classmates, who also mentioned "drone strikes, extrajudicial killings and atrocities against children."

It was in February 2012, just before she graduated from George Washington University, that the government says Witt set her plans to betray the United States and defect to Iran in motion.

She traveled to Iran that month to attend the International Conference on Hollywoodism in Tehran, an anti-western event held during the Fajr International Film Festival each year "aimed at condemning American moral standards and promoting anti-U.S. propaganda," according to the indictment.

FORMER FBI AGENT ROBERT LEVINSON’S DISAPPEARANCE STILL UNSOLVED AS BUREAU PRESSES FOR NEW TIPS

During that trip, she is accused of providing her "bona fides" to the IRGC in order to establish that she was a credible source of American national defense intelligence and that she disclosed government secrets to them.

She was not invited to the Hollywoodism, but was allowed to speak anyway, according to The New York Times. The indictment says she "was identified as a U.S. veteran and made statements that were critical of the U.S. government, knowing these videos would be broadcast by Iranian media outlets."

At the same time, her public conversion to Islam was filmed and broadcast on Iranian state television.

CIA URGES IRANIANS TO USE BURNER PHONES, TOR TO CONTACT US IN PERSIAN-LANGUAGE VIDEO

In May, at about the same time she received her graduate degree, the FBI reached out to Witt, telling her she was a prime target for recruitment by Iranian intelligence officials.

Defection

By then, it was too late.

Witt had become ensnared by a "spotter" — someone who recruits on behalf of a foreign intelligence service — in this case, Iran.

IRANIAN-AMERICAN JOURNALIST TESTIFIES AGAINST MEN ACCUSED OF MURDER-FOR-HIRE PLOT

The indictment refers to the "spotter" as "Individual A," named by The New York Times as Louisiana-born journalist turned naturalized Iranian citizen and state television broadcaster Marzieh Hashemi.

Hashemi allegedly traveled to the U.S., and along with Witt, filmed an anti-Western propaganda film that was later distributed in Iran.

Over the course of the next year, according to the indictment, Witt bounced around from country to country while she worked with Hashemi to gain permanent residence in Iran. Some of that time was spent in Dubai and Afghanistan.

ROBERT LEVINSON DISAPPEARANCE: FBI RELEASES POSTERS SEEKING INFO ON TWO IRANIAN INTELLIGENCE OFFICERS

Around that time, the FBI put out a missing persons declaration for Witt, saying that as of July 2013, she was believed to be in either Afghanistan or Tajikistan teaching English.

Text messages between the pair chronicled their efforts, including Iranian suspicion of Witt and alleged plans to "slip into Russia quietly" and expose U.S. secrets via WikiLeaks if she couldn't gain access to Iran. Witt explicitly said in one message that she would not go to Turkey for fear of the country's extradition agreement with the United States.

But on Aug. 25, 2013, according to the indictment, Witt sent an email titled "My Bio and Job History" to Hashemi, which contained more "bona fides," her Certificate of Release or Discharge From Active Duty DD-214 form, and her Islamic "conversion narrative." The indictment alleges that around the same time, she searched on Facebook for the names of U.S. intelligence services assets.

IRAN HACKERS TAUNTED 'MR. MUSTACHE' JOHN BOLTON ABOUT STOLEN FILES THAT WERE ALLEGEDLY CLASSIFIED

The same day, that email was forwarded to an email address associated with the Iranian government.

On Aug. 28, 2013, she boarded a flight to Iran.

"I'm signing off and heading out! Coming home," she texted Hashemi.

Life in Iran

Immediately after defecting, Witt was accused of providing Iranian government officials with the code name for a Department of Defense SAP.

Throughout 2014 and 2015, she is accused of helping create "target packages," defined as, "a document, or set of documents, assembled to enable an intelligence or military unit to find, fix, track, and neutralize a threat," for the Iranian government.

Those "target patches" have allegedly included the names of U.S. counterintelligence agents.

FEDERAL JUDGE GIVES MAN 15 YEARS FOR IRAN-BACKED ASSASSINATION PLOT ON US SOIL

Later, she is accused of linking up with Iranian hackers and producing malware "designed to capture a target's keystrokes, access a computer's web camera, and monitor other computer activity."

This technology was turned against U.S. intelligence assets whom Witt identified, according to the indictment. Witt and her co-defendants concocted schemes to implant malware on the computers of U.S. military intelligence workers known to Witt, mostly by reaching out to them through Facebook.

She was indicted alongside four other co-conspirators accused in the hacking operation.

Witt is officially charged with conspiracy to deliver and delivering national defense information to representatives of the Iranian government, delivering national defense information to representatives of the Iranian government, conspiracy to commit computer intrusion, computer intrusion, aggravated identity theft and aiding and abetting.

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"Monica Witt allegedly betrayed her oath to the Constitution more than a decade ago by defecting to Iran and providing the Iranian regime National Defense Information and likely continues to support their nefarious activities," Daniel Wierzbicki, special agent in charge of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Counterintelligence and Cyber Division, said in Thursday's announcement about the $200,000 reward.

"The FBI has not forgotten and believes that during this critical moment in Iran’s history, there is someone who knows something about her whereabouts. The FBI wants to hear from you so you can help us apprehend Witt and bring her to justice."

President Trump reveals Xi Jinping's response to possibly releasing imprisoned Chinese critic Jimmy Lai

Fri, 15 May 2026 17:30:34 -0400

President Donald Trump divulged how Chinese President Xi Jinping responded to his inquiry about releasing Jimmy Lai, a Hong Kong businessman imprisoned after his outspoken criticism of the Chinese government.

Lai, 78, is serving a 20-year sentence after the communist regime found him guilty of sedition and conspiracy to commit collusion with foreign forces.

"I brought up Jimmy Lai. I would say the response to that was not positive. He said that he's been, you know, he said it's been sort of his worst nightmare," Trump told "Special Report" in an interview airing Friday.

Trump said he spoke with Xi "at length" about Lai’s declining health as the media mogul remains in a Hong Kong prison under reportedly harsh conditions.

TRUMP MUST FORCE XI TO ANSWER FOR CHINA'S CRUEL WAR ON JIMMY LAI

"I said, well, I would appreciate it if you would release him. He's gotten old and he's probably not feeling too well, it would be nice," the president told ӣ��Ƶ chief political anchor Bret Baier.

"I did not feel optimistic. I have to be honest with you about that one."

Jimmy’s daughter Claire Lai expressed high hopes of her father’s release on "The Will Cain Show" Thursday, praising Trump as the "liberator-in-chief."

"I'm more hopeful than I've ever been that he is the president and this is the administration that will free my father, and we are just so extremely grateful," she said before Trump spoke with Xi about Lai's release.

MORNING GLORY: WILL XI FREE LAI?

Lai, who was imprisoned in 2020, founded a pro-democracy newspaper that regularly criticized the Communist Party, which Chinese authorities say was an effort to undermine the government.

Despite being unable to secure Lai’s release from Hong Kong, Trump touted the "hundreds" of prisoners he has helped release, including American Pastor Andrew Brunson from Turkey.

The president also criticized former President Joe Biden's prisoner release strategy, which he suggested was a waste of American money.

"I've gotten hundreds of people out, and, by the way, I don't pay a lot of money. I don't pay any money, like Biden, where they give $6 billion all the time to get people out," he said.

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Lai’s release is not the only topic the two world superpowers cannot agree on. Another central fault line is Taiwan, which Xi warned could cause "clashes and even conflicts" between the United States and China.

Though, Xi did offer to help the United States broker a deal with Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, striking a more collaborative tone.

Trump indicated a "fantastic future" of U.S.-China relations and praised Xi as a "great leader" during the talks. He departed back to Washington, D.C., on Friday.

FBI offers $200K reward for former Air Force intelligence agent accused of spying for Iran

Thu, 14 May 2026 15:10:12 -0400

The FBI announced Thursday it is offering a $200,000 reward for information leading to the apprehension and prosecution of Monica Witt, a former U.S. service member and counterintelligence agent who was indicted by a federal grand jury in the District of Columbia in February 2019 on charges of espionage, including transmitting national defense information to the Iranian government.

Witt, a former active-duty U.S. Air Force intelligence specialist and special agent for the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, served in the military between 1997 and 2008, before working as a U.S. government contractor until 2010, according to a news release from the FBI Washington Field Office.

The 47-year-old's military service and contracting employment provided her access to secret and top secret information relating to foreign intelligence and counterintelligence, including the true names of U.S. Intelligence Community undercover personnel.

Officials allege that in 2013, Witt defected to Iran and provided information to the country's government, placing sensitive and classified U.S. national defense information and programs at risk, according to the indictment.

FORMER FAA CONTRACTOR PLEADS GUILTY TO SPYING FOR IRAN, SHARING PRIVATE INFO ON US AIRPORTS, ENERGY INDUSTRY

She allegedly intentionally provided information endangering U.S. personnel and their families stationed abroad, and conducted research on behalf of the Iranian regime to allow them to target her former colleagues in the U.S. government.

The FBI said Witt’s defection to Iran has benefited the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which has elements responsible for intelligence collection, unconventional warfare and providing direct support to multiple terrorist organizations targeting U.S. citizens and interests.

WOMAN ADDED TO FBI'S TEN MOST WANTED LIST ARRESTED HOURS LATER AFTER TIPS POURED IN FROM FLORIDA: PATEL

While Witt has been indicted for her alleged crimes, she remains at large. She is known to speak Farsi and reside in Iran, and may be using aliases, including Fatemah Zahra or Narges Witt.

The FBI said it is continuing to actively work to find Witt and bring her to justice.

"Monica Witt allegedly betrayed her oath to the Constitution more than a decade ago by defecting to Iran and providing the Iranian regime National Defense Information and likely continues to support their nefarious activities," said Daniel Wierzbicki, special agent in charge of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Counterintelligence and Cyber Division.

"The FBI has not forgotten and believes that during this critical moment in Iran’s history, there is someone who knows something about her whereabouts," Wierzbicki continued. "The FBI wants to hear from you so you can help us apprehend Witt and bring her to justice."

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Anyone with information about Witt is asked to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI. Tips can also be shared with local FBI offices, the nearest American embassy or consulate, or submitted via tips.fbi.gov.

Attorney raises broader concerns after mayor admits to acting as Chinese agent in shocking case

Tue, 12 May 2026 12:45:17 -0400

Attorney Katie Zacharia sounded the alarm Tuesday after a California mayor agreed to plead guilty to acting as an agent of the Chinese government, warning the case could be just the tip of the iceberg.

"There needs to be a wholesale review of not just legal permanent residents, but people who are here from adversarial countries..." Zacharia said on "Fox & Friends First."

"There has to be a complete takedown of these green card holders, and they need to be sent back home," she added.

Zacharia's concerns came after the Justice Department announced that Eileen Wang, former mayor of Arcadia, California, had been charged with acting as an illegal agent of the People’s Republic of China.

CALIFORNIA MAYOR ACCUSED OF SECRETLY WORKING FOR CHINA, SPREADING PROPAGANDA WHILE IN OFFICE: FEDS

Wang agreed to plead guilty to the felony offense, insisting the decision was "personal in nature" and "does not reflect [her] love and commitment to Arcadia, which will always remain strong."

She now faces up to 10 years in federal prison along with a potential $250,000 fine, though any sentence would be determined by a federal judge.

Zacharia, however, finds the prospect of 10 years appalling.

MOST SHOCKING EXAMPLES OF CHINESE ESPIONAGE UNCOVERED BY THE US THIS YEAR: 'JUST THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG'

"That's actually kind of offensive as a United States citizen," she said.

"This person was acting as a foreign agent on behalf of the CCP. There should be no grace. They literally should be sent back to the People's Republic of China."

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Per previous reporting, federal prosecutors said Wang admitted she acted "at the direction and control" of Chinese government officials from at least 2020 through 2022, coordinating with individuals in the U.S. to spread pro-Beijing messaging without notifying the U.S. attorney general as required by law.

The described conduct occurred before Wang took office on the Arcadia City Council in December 2022.

Local officials said Wang's conduct had no impact on city operations.

ӣ��Ƶ' Stepheny Price and Matt Finn contributed to this report.

California mayor accused of secretly working for China, spreading propaganda while in office: feds

Mon, 11 May 2026 20:07:14 -0400

A California mayor who has since resigned has been charged with acting as an illegal agent of the People’s Republic of China and has agreed to plead guilty, according to federal prosecutors who say she secretly worked to push pro-Beijing messaging inside the United States before she took office.

Eileen Wang, former mayor of Arcadia, California, has been charged with acting as an illegal agent of the People’s Republic of China and has agreed to plead guilty to the felony offense, the Justice Department announced. She now faces up to 10 years in federal prison along with a potential $250,000 fine, though any sentence would be determined by a federal judge.

Federal prosecutors say Wang admitted she acted "at the direction and control" of Chinese government officials from at least 2020 through 2022, coordinating with individuals in the U.S. to spread pro-Beijing messaging, all without notifying the U.S. Attorney General as required by law. The conduct described by prosecutors occurred before Wang took office on the Arcadia City Council in December 2022.

Arcadia city officials said the case is tied to Wang’s individual conduct and does not impact city operations.

"Individuals elected to public office in the United States should act only for the people of the United States that they represent," Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg said.

CHINA SKIRTS US EFFORTS TO STIFF-ARM CCP INTERFERENCE BY BOLSTERING STATE, LOCAL RELATIONS

"It is deeply concerning that someone who previously received and executed directives from PRC government officials is now in a position of public trust at all."

According to court documents, Wang worked alongside Yaoning "Mike" Sun, a convicted Chinese agent already serving a four-year federal prison sentence, to operate a website posing as a local Chinese American news outlet.

Prosecutors described the website as a propaganda arm for the Chinese Communist Party, saying it published content supplied directly by Chinese officials. Bottom of Form

ALLEGED CHINESE SCHEME TO INFLUENCE 2020 ELECTION FOR BIDEN BEING PROBED BY FBI, SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE

In one exchange, a Chinese government official sent Wang a pre-written article denying allegations of forced labor and genocide in Xinjiang.

Minutes later, Wang posted it online and sent back the link. The official replied, "So fast, thank you everyone."

GOT A TIP?

In another instance, after making edits at Beijing’s request and touting more than 15,000 views, Wang responded, "Thank you leader."

CHINA TARGETS US MILITARY MEMBERS IN OVERSEAS SPY OPERATIONS, FORMER CIA STATION CHIEF WARNS

Prosecutors also say Wang communicated with convicted PRC operative John Chen, a figure tied to China’s intelligence apparatus with connections to Chinese President Xi Jinping, asking him to distribute messaging and writing, "This is what the Ministry of Foreign Affairs wants to send."

FOLLOW US ON X

"Individuals in our country who covertly do the bidding of foreign governments undermine our democracy," First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said. "This plea agreement is the latest success in our determination to defend the homeland against China’s efforts to corrupt our institutions."

The FBI framed the case as a warning about foreign interference in American politics.

GET BREAKING NEWS BY EMAIL

"By her own admission, Eileen Wang secretly served the interests of the Chinese government," said FBI Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky. "Let this serve as a clear warning individuals who act on behalf of foreign governments to influence our democracy will be identified, investigated, and brought to justice."

Despite the covert relationship, Wang was elected to the Arcadia City Council in November 2022 and later became mayor through the council’s rotating system. The conduct outlined by prosecutors occurred before she assumed office.

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In her plea agreement, Wang admitted she never disclosed her work for the Chinese government either to federal authorities or to readers of her website and acknowledged she was acting inside the United States while doing so. She is expected to formally enter the guilty plea in federal court and has not yet been sentenced.

The agreement also makes clear that if Wang is not a U.S. citizen, her felony conviction could trigger deportation or denial of future citizenship. The plea agreement describes those as potential immigration consequences.

Wang has agreed to resign from public office and is expected to formally enter her guilty plea in the coming weeks as the FBI investigation continues.

Arcadia city officials said the case is tied to Wang’s individual conduct and does not impact city operations.

In a message to residents, City Manager Dominic Lazzaretto confirmed Wang has resigned from the City Council, vacating her role as mayor, following the federal charges.

"The allegations at the center of this case, that a foreign government sought to exert influence over a local elected official, are deeply troubling," the city said in a statement. "We take them seriously."

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City officials said the conduct outlined in the case occurred before Wang took office in December 2022 and emphasized that no city resources or decision-making processes were affected.

"Following an internal review, we can confirm that no City finances, staff, or decision-making processes were involved," the statement said.

Officials added that no other members of the City Council are under investigation and that city business is continuing as normal.

ӣ��Ƶ' Matt Finn contributed to this report.

Harvard scientist convicted of lying about China ties rebuilds brain-tech lab in China

Sat, 02 May 2026 11:39:44 -0400

Dr. Charles Lieber, a former Harvard scientist convicted in 2021 of concealing his ties to a Chinese-run recruitment program, has since rebuilt his brain-computer interface lab in Shenzhen, China, according to Reuters.

Convicted of six counts related to lying about a contract he held with Wuhan University of Technology, Lieber served two days in prison and six months on house arrest for his crimes.

Just over three years after that conviction, Reuters reported, Lieber fled for China, where he became the head of the nation's burgeoning program to connect human brains to computers.

Lieber, considered one of the world's authorities on nanotechnology, is now head of China's Institute for Brain Research, Advanced Interfaces and Neurotechnologies, or i-BRAIN.

CHINA’S ULTRASOUND BRAIN TECH RACE HEATS UP

"I arrived on April 28, 2025, with a dream and not much more, maybe a couple bags of clothes," Lieber said during a Shenzhen government news conference in December. "Personally, my own goals are to make Shenzhen a world leader."

His defection marks the confluence of a number of emergent trends. While his original conviction highlighted the United States' ongoing efforts to mitigate Chinese technology theft, some experts argue his defection serves as proof those efforts have not succeeded.

"China has weaponized against us our own openness and our own efforts for innovation," Glenn Gerstell, an advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and former general counsel for the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA), told Reuters. "They’ve flipped that and turned it around against us, and they’re taking advantage of it."

AI ARMS RACE: US AND CHINA WEAPONIZE DRONES, CODE AND BIOTECH FOR THE NEXT GREAT WAR

The move also showcases the import China places on developing cutting-edge technologies. Lieber's original contract with Wuhan University of Technology paid him $50,000 a month and over $150,000 in living expenses. His new lab likely cost the Chinese government a great deal more than that.

Lieber reportedly has access to a wide suite of tools and resources to continue developing computer-brain interfaces, including machinery to fabricate coveted semiconductor chips and a large primate lab.

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Computer-brain interfaces have shown promise in treating neurological disorders but also have potential military applications.

ӣ��Ƶ Digital contacted Harvard University and i-BRAIN for additional comment but did not immediately receive a response.

'Traitor' Dem senator ripped after one-word reaction appears to cheer on Iran

Tue, 21 Apr 2026 09:42:10 -0400

Democratic Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy is under fire after a one-word social media post fueled accusations he was a "traitor" cheering against the United States amid the war in Iran.

"Awesome," Murphy wrote on X in response to a post reporting that 26 ships in Iran's shadow fleet have made it past the US blockade in the Gulf of Oman.

Murphy’s post adds to his long-running criticism of President Donald Trump’s foreign policy and revived scrutiny over his past posture toward Iran, giving critics fresh ammunition to cast the Connecticut Democrat as hostile to U.S. interests.

Social media commenters unleashed on Murphy for the message, with some asking if his account was "hacked" and others accusing him of cheering on Iran.

SCHUMER BLASTED TRUMP FOR FAILING TO OUST MADURO — NOW WARNS ARREST COULD LEAD TO ‘ENDLESS WAR’

"It takes an insane level of Trump Derangement Syndrome to cheer for a terrorist regime that chants ‘Death to America,'" White House Spokesperson Olivia Wales told ӣ��Ƶ Digital.

"Chris Murphy is an America-last, radical left lunatic who stands for illegal aliens and Iranian terrorists over the American people. The only thing ‘awesome’ will be when he is out of office," Wales added.

DOUG SCHOEN: AS A DEMOCRAT, I BACK TRUMP'S IRAN STRIKE — MY PARTY IS WRONG

ӣ��Ƶ chief foreign correspondent Trey Yingst notably told "Fox & Friends" on Tuesday morning that there is "no evidence" that Iranian shadow fleet vessels, ships used to evade international sanctions, have made it through the U.S. blockade.

"The tweet was sarcasm," a spokesperson for Murphy's office told ӣ��Ƶ Digital in a statement later on Tuesday morning. "Chris obviously thinks it’s terrible that Donald Trump continues to mishandle every aspect of a war he started but clearly has no strategy to end."

Commenters continued criticizing Murphy on X on Tuesday morning.

"First of all this is false," Sean Parnell, assistant to the secretary of war for public affairs, posted, denying the report Murphy responded to. "Second, a Dem senator cheering on the number one state sponsor of terror is shameful."

"This is what late stage TDS looks like: Cheering on Iran to defeat the U.S. Navy," the Trump War room account wrote.

"This U.S. senator is publicly cheering for America’s enemy during war. The Senate should vote to censure him," Mike Davis, Article III Project founder and president, commented.

SCHUMER CALLS TRUMP 'A MILITARY MORON' AND SAYS US 'WORSE OFF' NOW THAN WHEN IRAN WAR STARTED

"Was Sen. Murphy's account hacked?" Washington Examiner chief political correspondent Byron York wrote.

"Chris Murphy roots against America," conservative commentator Steve Guest posted.

"'I love when Iran wins, it’s awesome…' - a UNITED STATES SENATOR???????????!!!!!!!!!," added Matt Van Swol, a former employee of the Department of Energy, according to his X bio.

CRUZ SAYS TRUMP'S MOVE TO STRIKE IRAN 'MOST CONSEQUENTIAL DECISION' OF HIS PRESIDENCY

ӣ��Ƶ caught up with Murphy Tuesday morning to ask whether he regretted the post or planned to take it down.

"I guess I just have to be more careful about sarcasm on Twitter," he said.

Murphy continued that X is "kind of a cesspool" and suggested "sarcasm is not something … allowed … any longer." He added that he believes Trump’s handling of the war is "bungled" and "mismanaged" and should be ended "as quickly as possible."

Operation Epic Fury began on Feb. 28, 2026, when U.S. forces, alongside partner forces, launched a coordinated military campaign against Iran.

As the Trump administration pressures Iran to curb its nuclear program, the U.S. is using its naval and air power to choke off Iranian shipping around the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman.

Murphy recently called out Trump for his posts related to the war with Iran, saying it is a "a clear war crime."

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ӣ��Ƶ’ Greg Norman-Diamond contributed to this report.

Former Fort Bragg employee charged with leaking classified military information to journalist

Wed, 08 Apr 2026 22:15:26 -0400

A former Fort Bragg employee with top-secret clearance is accused of leaking classified military tactics to a journalist, then admitting to her mother that she could be arrested for exposing sensitive operations, according to a federal complaint.

Courtney P. Williams, 40, an Army veteran assigned to a Special Military Unit (SMU) at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, was arrested by the FBI on Tuesday and charged with unlawfully transmitting national defense information, including classified tactics used in covert missions, to an investigative reporter over a period spanning several years, federal prosecutors allege.

According to the complaint, Williams held a Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI) clearance and had direct access to highly sensitive operational details, including tactics, techniques and procedures — commonly known as TTPs — used by elite military units.

Williams allegedly violated 18 U.S.C. § 793(d), the Department of Justice (DOJ) said in a news release Wednesday.

Investigators allege that between 2022 and 2025, Williams communicated extensively with a journalist, including phone calls lasting hundreds of minutes and roughly 180 text messages, while also sending documents and materials that were later published in an article and book identifying her as the source.

OUSTED HEGSETH AIDE RESURFACES IN INTEL ROLE AS IRAN WAR SPARKS INTERNAL STRAIN

FBI Director Kash Patel took to X on Wednesday after the arrest, saying the Bureau "will not tolerate" leakers of classified intel.

"Let this serve as a message to any would-be leakers: we’re working these cases, and we’re making arrests," Patel wrote. "This FBI will not tolerate those who seek to betray our country and put Americans in harm’s way."

The Associated Press reported that while the journalist is not named in the court filings, "dates and details match" both an article and book written by Seth Harp about the Army's Delta Force.

An excerpt from Harp's book, "The Fort Bragg Cartel" was published in Politico's magazine last August under the title, "My Life Became a Living Hell: One Woman’s Career in Delta Force, the Army’s Most Elite Unit," featuring Williams' testimonials alleging sexual harassment while serving.

Harp released a statement to WRAL-TV about Williams, calling her a "brave whistleblower and truth-teller," despite reported reservations she shared with the journalist after the book was published.

"Former Delta Force operators disclose `national defense information’ on podcasts and YouTube shows every day, but the government is going after Courtney for the sole reason that she exposed sexual harassment and gender discrimination in the unit. This is a vindictive act of retaliation, plain and simple," Harp's statement read.

The published materials, according to the government, contained classified information at the "SECRET" level with "NOFORN" restrictions, meaning it was not authorized for release to foreign nationals — raising concerns it could be accessed by U.S. adversaries.

NATIONAL GUARDSMAN ACCUSED OF SEEKING TO SEND PHOTOS OF SENSITIVE MILITARY TECHNOLOGY TO RUSSIA

"Clearance holders accept a solemn obligation to protect the classified information entrusted to them," said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg said in a DOJ release. "That they do so is critical to the security of our Nation. When clearance holders violate that trust, the National Security Division will act swiftly to hold them accountable."

Evidence outlined in the complaint includes messages indicating Williams mailed a thumb drive containing materials to the journalist, as well as files saved on her computer labeled "Batch 1 for Reporter" and similar titles, suggesting an organized effort to provide information.

On the day the article and book were published, Williams allegedly texted the journalist expressing concern about the scope of the disclosure, writing that she was troubled by "the amount of classified information being disclosed" and that it felt like "an entire TTP was sent out in my name."

In a separate conversation with her mother, Williams allegedly acknowledged the legal risk more directly.

EX-ARMY SERGEANT SENTENCED FOR TRYING TO GIVE STATE SECRETS TO CHINA AFTER MENTAL HEALTH SPIRAL

"I might actually get arrested, and I don’t even get a free copy of the book," she wrote, adding the legal basis as "for disclosing classified information."

Authorities say Williams had signed multiple non-disclosure agreements during her time working with the military unit and was explicitly warned that unauthorized disclosure of classified material could violate federal law.

The complaint also notes that the leaked information could pose serious risks, including exposing military personnel to danger and compromising operations if adversaries studied the disclosed tactics.

"The tradecraft, tactics, and techniques used by the U.S. military unit in this case are classified and should be shared only with those with proper clearances and a need to know in order to protect American lives and safeguard classified National Defense information," said Reid Davis, the FBI Special Agent in Charge in North Carolina.

"These are serious accusations. Anyone divulging information they vowed to protect to a reporter for publication is reckless, self-serving and damages our nation’s security."

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Authorities say Williams had signed multiple non-disclosure agreements and was warned that releasing classified material could violate federal law.

The FBI Charlotte Field Office is investigating the case, with "valuable assistance" provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of North Carolina.

ӣ��Ƶ Digital reached out to Politico.

Iran moderates pushing Trump deal risk being ‘eliminated’ as regime fractures deepen

Tue, 31 Mar 2026 15:47:37 -0400

Iranian officials pushing for negotiations with the United States risk being labeled traitors and "most likely eliminated," according to a policy expert, as internal fractures emerge inside Iran’s new regime.

Hooshang Amirahmadi, president of the American Iranian Council, said moderates advocating engagement with Washington are increasingly vulnerable at a moment when the Trump administration says it is in contact with elements of a "new" leadership.

"If the moderates were to push toward negotiation and a ceasefire, they will be considered traitors and will most likely be eliminated," Amirahmadi told ӣ��Ƶ Digital.

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Amirahmadi’s warning came as Washington also appears to be navigating internal "fractures" amid the ongoing conflict.

President Donald Trump on Monday said the U.S. is engaged in serious talks with a "new" and "more reasonable" regime in Iran as the war enters its fifth week, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio declined to say who exactly the U.S. is negotiating with but cited "fractures."

"Well, I'm not going to disclose to you who those people are, because it probably would get them in trouble with some other groups of people inside of Iran. Look, there are some fractures going on there internally," Rubio said on "Good Morning America."

"Anyone in Iran who speaks of negotiation is suspected of paving the way for more war and destruction," Amirahmadi said before stating that the moderate reformers are thought of as "infiltrators and deemed traitors."

Amirahmadi also confirmed Rubio’s comments and highlighted an internal struggle within Tehran’s power structure, where remnants of what he called the "old regime," or the Khamenei-era system, still exist.

"Many of them support negotiation or a ceasefire. But the emerging new regime is made up of more hard-line elements and views the others as traitors," he said.

"For a long time, there has been a serious gap — what we call a cleavage — between the hardliners or radicals and the moderates or reformists."

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Amirahmadi also described how "assassination in the Islamic Republic is not a new phenomenon. It has been there for a long time."

Amirahmadi spoke ahead of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth saying Tuesday that Washington remains firm on reaching an agreement to end the monthlong conflict involving the U.S., Israel and the Islamic Republic.

Speaking at a news conference, Hegseth reiterated that Trump is willing to make a deal to end the war, adding the new regime is now in place.

"If Iran is smart, it will make a deal. The new Iranian regime should already know that. This new regime, having undergone a regime change, should be smarter than the previous one. President Trump does not bluff and will not back down. He will make a deal, he is willing and the terms of the deal are known to them," Hegseth said.

"The field and the war are in the control of the radical colonels, and that is what matters at this point," Amirahmadi added.

"The established bureaucracy is still run by the same old moderate regime, but then that is not a new regime. The new regime is certainly more radical."

WHO ACTUALLY RUNS IRAN RIGHT NOW? THE KEY POWER PLAYERS AS TRUMP CLAIMS TALKS TO 'TOP' OFFICIAL

Since the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the succession of his son, Mojtaba Khamenei, the regime appears more reliant on the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Iran’s power structure is increasingly dominated by IRGC figures like Ahmad Vahidi and Qods Force chief Esmail Qaani, alongside judicial figures such as Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Ayatollah Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei.

While President Masoud Pezeshkian’s influence could have waned, figures like Saeed Jalili, Guardian Council insider Ayatollah Alireza Arafi and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi continue shaping Iran’s security posture.

"There are basically the colonels; there are the Revolutionary Guards, people that are in the military. A few non-military hardliners are in universities, in government and places," Amirahmadi added.

"They have changed the regime into a very radical regime," Amirahmadi warned, "I don’t even think Khamenei’s son would favor negotiation, at least initially.

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"His position and condition are not entirely clear. His leadership appears symbolic — a reaction, even a gesture against figures like Trump.

"Trump and Netanyahu wanted regime change, and they have already achieved it, but the regime has just become more radical," Amirahmadi concluded.

Ex-Air Force pilot arrested for allegedly training Chinese military pilots without authorization

Wed, 25 Feb 2026 21:06:13 -0500

A former U.S. Air Force fighter pilot who once trained American servicemembers on advanced combat aircraft, including the F-35, has been arrested and accused of illegally training Chinese military pilots, federal prosecutors said Wednesday.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) said Gerald Eddie Brown Jr., whose call sign is "Runner," was taken into custody in Jeffersonville, Ind., and charged with providing and conspiring to provide defense services to Chinese military pilots without authorization.

Prosecutors allege Brown violated the Arms Export Control Act, a federal law that regulates the export of U.S. defense articles, services and military technology and requires government approval before they can be shared with foreign governments or nationals.

"The United States Air Force trained Major Brown to be an elite fighter pilot and entrusted him with the defense of our Nation. He now stands charged with training Chinese military pilots," Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg said. "When U.S. persons – whether military or civilian – provide training to a foreign military, that activity is illegal unless they have a license from the State Department."

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The DOJ alleges that since "at least in or around August 2023," Brown "willfully conspired" with foreign nationals and other U.S. persons to provide combat aircraft training to pilots in the Chinese Air Force, known as the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF).

Prosecutors say the training required State Department approval under federal export regulations, and Brown did not have a license to provide it to a foreign military.

Brown served more than 24 years in the U.S. Air Force, according to the DOJ, leaving active duty in 1996 with the rank of major.

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During his career, he commanded units responsible for nuclear weapons delivery systems, led combat missions and worked as a fighter pilot and simulator instructor on aircraft including the F-4, F-15, F-16 and A-10. After leaving the military, Brown worked as a commercial cargo pilot and later as a contract simulator instructor training U.S. pilots to fly the A-10 and the F-35 Lightning II.

According to the complaint, Brown began negotiating a contract "in or around" August 2023 to train Chinese military pilots, working through a co-conspirator who dealt with Stephen Su Bin, a Chinese national previously convicted in the U.S. of conspiring to hack into the computer networks of major American defense contractors and steal sensitive military data.

Prosecutors say Brown made clear in those discussions that he intended to train Chinese pilots in combat aircraft operations. In a résumé, he listed his objective as "Instructor Fighter Pilot" and later wrote that, upon arriving in China, "Now…. I have the chance to fly and instruct fighter pilots again!"

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According to the complaint, Brown traveled to China in December 2023 to begin training Chinese military pilots and remained there until returning to the United States earlier this month.

Prosecutors allege that after arriving in China, Brown spent hours answering questions about the U.S. Air Force and later delivered a presentation about himself to members of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force.

"As an Air Force Officer, Brown took an oath to defend our Nation against all enemies foreign and domestic, he broke that oath, and betrayed the country, jeopardizing the safety of our servicemembers and allies," U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Ferris Pirro said. "We will hold Brown, and anyone conspiring against our Nation, accountable for their actions."

Brown’s case follows similar charges against former U.S. Marine Corps pilot Daniel Edmund Duggan, who is accused of providing defense services to Chinese military pilots without authorization and is currently pending extradition to the U.S.

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Prosecutors allege Duggan trained Chinese military pilots on aircraft carrier takeoff and landing procedures, skills considered highly sensitive to U.S. national defense. He is currently in Australia.

Brown, if convicted, faces significant federal prison time under export control laws designed to prevent U.S. military expertise from being transferred to foreign adversaries.

Aldrich Ames, CIA officer who spied for Russia, dead at 84

Wed, 07 Jan 2026 07:50:32 -0500

Aldrich Ames, a longtime Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) case officer who betrayed U.S. intelligence by spying for the Soviet Union and later Russia, died at the age of 84.

The Bureau of Prisons website shows that Ames died on Monday.

He was being held at the Federal Correctional Institution in Cumberland, Maryland, where he was serving out a life sentence.

The FBI said it arrested Ames, a 31-year veteran of the CIA, in 1994 on espionage charges, after he began passing classified information to the KGB in 1985, compromising numerous CIA and FBI human sources, some of whom were later executed.

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The agency said Ames, a Russian-speaking CIA officer who specialized in Russian intelligence services, secretly provided classified materials to the KGB using "dead drops," which are concealed locations where documents were left to be retrieved later by Soviet intelligence officers operating out of the USSR Embassy in Washington.

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Ames ultimately pleaded guilty to espionage charges in 1994 and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, in one of the most damaging spy cases in U.S. history.

"Well, the reasons that I did what I did in April of 1985, were personal, banal, and amounted really to kind of greed and folly. As simple as that," Ames said in an interview archived by the National Security Archive at George Washington University.

"I knew quite well, when I gave the names of our agents in the Soviet Union, that I was exposing them to the full machinery of counterespionage and the law, and then prosecution, and capital punishment, certainly, in the case of KGB and GRU officers who would be tried in a military court, and certainly others, that they were almost all at least potentially liable to capital punishment," he added. "There's simply no question about this."

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Wes Street, the director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, said on X in 2022 that Ames volunteered to work for the KGB and compromised over 100 Soviet and East European cases and multiple U.S. assets.

"Ames received payments from the KGB that totaled $2.5 million, making him one of the highest paid American spies," Street wrote. "The KGB kept another $2.1 million earmarked for him in a Moscow bank."

Navy sailor faces life in prison after selling military secrets to China for $12K payment

Fri, 22 Aug 2025 10:04:41 -0400

A Navy sailor may face life in prison after a San Diego jury found him guilty of selling military secrets to China on Thursday.

Prosecutors said Jinchao "Patrick" Wei, 25, used his position as a machinist’s mate on the amphibious assault ship USS Essex at Naval Base San Diego to collect sensitive information and offer it to a Chinese intelligence officer who recruited him in February 2022. Wei held a security clearance and had access to information about the weapons systems aboard the Essex.

In exchange, the officer paid Wei $12,000 over a year and a half.

A jury convicted Wei on six of seven charges: espionage, conspiracy to commit espionage, conspiracy to violate the Arms Export Control Act and three counts of violating the Arms Export Control Act.

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The espionage-related charges carry life sentences and a $250,000 fine.

Conspiracy to violate the Arms Export Control Act and each count of violating the act carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine.

The Chinese intelligence officer approached Wei and posed as a naval enthusiast working for the China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation, a state-run yard.

Wei suspected the officer of being linked to Chinese intelligence.

"Wei told his friend that he is ‘no idiot’ and that ‘this is quite obviously f---ing espionage,’" according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).

Still, Wei began spying for the officer, sending pictures of the Essex and describing the vulnerabilities of ships at the San Diego Naval Base.

An attorney for Wei did not deny that his actions were wrong but characterized him as young and naive, arguing he "never intended to harm the United States."

"It was never disputed that Jinchao made numerous errors in judgment. He was young and naive and regrettably agreed to share some very low-level information in exchange for easy money," attorney Sean Jones said in a statement Thursday.

From March 2022 to August 2023, when Wei was arrested, he sent photos, offered the locations of various Navy ships and described the defense weapons on the Essex, the DOJ stated.

TWO CHINESE NATIONALS ARRESTED FOR SPYING ON US NAVY PERSONNEL AND BASES

He sent the Chinese agent "thousands of pages of technical and operational information about U.S. Navy surface warfare ships like the Essex that he took from restricted U.S. Navy computer systems."

U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon said Wei's actions showed an "egregious betrayal of the trust placed in him as a member of the U.S. military."

"By trading military secrets to the People’s Republic of China for cash, he jeopardized not only the lives of his fellow sailors but also the security of the entire nation and our allies," Gordon said. "The jury’s verdict serves as a crucial reminder that the Department of Justice will vigorously prosecute traitors."

Wei is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 1.

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"If there is only one thing I can make clear, it is that Jinchao loves America. He has no allegiance to China," his attorney said. "He made a stupid decision to make some easy money by selling outdated maintenance manuals to a broken and obsolete steam-powered ship. I firmly believe his actions had absolutely no effect on national security.

Multiple Chinese nationals have been arrested for spying on U.S. military bases. Just last month, two were detained in Houston for allegedly trying to collect intelligence about U.S. Navy service members and bases and recruiting other military members to carry out tasks for the country’s main foreign intelligence service, the Ministry of State Security.

On this day in history, September 21, 1780, Benedict Arnold betrays cause of American independence

Sat, 21 Sep 2024 00:02:13 -0400

Connecticut officer first fought bravely during Revolution — name today still a synonym for 'traitor'

Former Army soldier pleads guilty to all charges after selling national defense secrets to China

Tue, 13 Aug 2024 19:17:00 -0400

A U.S. Army Sgt. and intelligence analyst has pleaded guilty to charges related to selling national defense secrets to China for a total of $42,000.

Korbein Schultz held a Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI) security clearance in the Army, which was allegedly used to obtain and transmit national defense information to China.

Schultz was charged with conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defense information, exporting technical data related to defense articles without a license, conspiracy to export defense articles without a license, and bribery of a public official by a federal grand jury indictment earlier this year.

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"The defendant abused his access to restricted government systems to sell sensitive military information to a person he knew to be a foreign national," said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division in a statement.

"By conspiring to transmit national defense information to a person living outside the United States, this defendant callously put our national security at risk to cash in on the trust our military placed in him. Today’s guilty plea is a stark reminder that those who would betray their sworn oath for personal gain will be identified and brought to justice."

According to charging and pleading documents, Schultz sold details to an individual in Hong Kong believed to have contact with the Chinese government. The sales included classified information and documents.

The listed sensitive documents shared with the alleged conspirator include information on the HH-60 helicopter, F-22A fighter aircraft, HIMARS rockets, and obtained information on the Chinese military's preparedness.

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"The defendant has admitted guilt in a case that should send a strong message to any U.S. service members thinking about betraying their country," said Executive Assistant Director Robert Wells of the FBI’s National Security Branch. "The U.S. is governed by the rule of law and when persons placed in a position of trust violate that trust, the FBI and our partners will hold them accountable."

"Governments like China are aggressively targeting our military personnel and national security information and we will do everything in our power to ensure that information is safeguarded from hostile foreign governments."

If all listed charges were to be sentenced at their maximum penalties, Schultz could serve 65 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine Schultz' sentence on January 23, 2025.

Three attorneys are prosecuting the case: trial attorneys Adam Barry and Christopher Cook with the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Josh Kurtzman for the Middle District of Tennessee.

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The U.S. Army Counterintelligence Command and the FBI are investigating the case.

German authorities arrest 2nd person in treason case for passing secrets obtained by BND spy agency employee

Thu, 26 Jan 2023 08:48:02 -0500

German authorities said Thursday that they have arrested a second person in connection with a high-profile espionage case that embarrassed Germany's foreign intelligence agency.

Federal prosecutors said Arthur E., whose surname wasn't released for privacy reasons, was detained at Munich airport last month after arriving from the United States.

Prosecutors said the suspect, a German citizen, is accused of treason for passing secrets obtained by Carsten L., an acquaintance working at Germany's BND spy agency, to Russian intelligence.

STABBING ON GERMAN TRAIN KILLS 2, INJURES 7; MOTIVE REMAINS UNKNOWN

Arthur E. was not an employee of the BND, prosecutors said.

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German authorities received support in their investigation from the FBI, they said.

Chinese man gets 3-year term for stealing US trade secrets

Thu, 06 Oct 2016 11:41:06 -0400

A businessman from China who pleaded guilty to stealing trade secrets from U.S. seed corn companies has been sentenced to three years in prison.

Mo Hailong was accused of traveling to the Midwest with other employees of Kings Nower Seed to take corn seeds out of fields in Iowa with the intention of shipping them to China where scientists would copy them.

Mo, who goes by the name Robert Mo, admitted to conspiring to steal trade secrets from DuPont Pioneer and Monsanto.

During sentencing Wednesday, U.S. District Court Judge Stephanie Rose said she hoped to show Chinese companies that such crimes aren't tolerated in the U.S.

The Des Moines Register reports (http://dmreg.co/2dgZ45W ) that attorney Mark Weinhardt says Mo is remorseful and focused on putting the matter behind him.

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Information from: The Des Moines Register, http://www.desmoinesregister.com

Ex-Boeing manager gets over 3 years in prison for child porn

Mon, 29 Aug 2016 21:08:16 -0400

A former Boeing manager has been sentenced in Los Angeles to more than three years in prison for possessing child pornography discovered during an unrelated espionage investigation.

Judge Christina Snyder sentenced Keith Gartenlaub on Monday to 41 months in federal prison.

A prosecutor sought a seven year sentence and the defense asked that he serve no time behind bars.

Defense lawyer Mark Werksman previously argued to dismiss the whole case against Gartenlaub because the porn was discovered through a warrant obtained through the nation's secretive intelligence court and based on spying allegations he was never charged with.

Snyder rejected that argument, but she tossed out a conviction on a charge of receiving child pornography because it was duplicative.

The FBI found the pornography while investigating a potential Boeing data leak.

Judge refuses to ease freed Israeli spy's parole conditions

Thu, 11 Aug 2016 18:12:00 -0400

A judge has refused to ease parole conditions for freed Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard so he can begin work as a financial analyst.

The U.S. Parole Commission did not abuse its discretion when it required the 61-year-old former U.S. Navy intelligence research specialist to submit to a curfew and monitoring of work computers and his whereabouts, U.S. District Judge Katherine Forrest said Thursday.

Pollard's lawyers had argued that the restrictions blocked him from accepting an offer to work as a financial analyst after his release from prison last November.

In June 1986, Pollard pleaded guilty to conspiring to deliver national defense information to a foreign government, giving secrets to Israel. He served 30 years in prison.

Prosecutors said he gave secrets to Israeli agents from June 1984 through November 1985.

At a recent hearing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebecca Sol Tinio said restrictions were necessary because national security could be affected if Pollard shares knowledge from classified documents.

Pollard's lawyer Eliot Lauer had argued that any information he had 30 years ago was "ridiculously stale" and couldn't be remembered anyway.

The judge said a 12-hour curfew imposed on Pollard most days was not "irrational, arbitrary or otherwise an abuse of discretion."

She said computer and travel monitoring conditions were not unconstitutional. She said the computer restriction was "reasonably related to the characteristics of Pollard and his crime."

She noted that Pollard remains in the custody of the U.S. attorney general for the rest of his life sentence and any effort to leave the country would violate his parole.

"It would also, if successful, all but erase the United States' ability to ensure that Pollard complied with the terms of his plea agreement and committed no further crimes," the judge said.

A government spokesman declined to comment Thursday. A lawyer for Pollard did not immediately return a message seeking comment.

Documents reveal feds' effort to discredit Snowden, reveal CIA ties

Mon, 06 Jun 2016 14:16:00 -0400

Newly declassified NSA documents provide official confirmation that Edward Snowden was a CIA asset, and show the extent to which the government went to discredit him after he told lawmakers in Europe that he tried to blow the whistle on a secret federal program that snooped on private citizens.

The documents, obtained by Vice News, do not conclusively confirm claims by Snowden, then a private contractor working for the NSA, that he tried to alert supervisors of what he believed to be illegal spying before going public. They do show that following a flurry of claims by Snowden in early 2014 that his supposed concerns the agency was violating the constitutional rights of citizens were ignored, Obama administration officials sought to discredit him with his own words.

That effort centered around discussing the eventual May 2014 release of an April 2013 email from Snowden to the agency’s Office of General Counsel asking whether an Obama executive order allowing the snooping program could supersede federal statute. Officials largely viewed the query as simply a question about a test administered to contract workers.

“I’m not entirely certain, but this does not seem correct, as it seems to imply Executive Orders have the same precedence as law,” Snowden writes in the email after reposting a section of “the training.”

“My understanding is that EOs may be superseded by federal statute, but EOs may not override statute. Am I incorrect in this? Between EOs and laws, which have precedence?”

Snowden had contacted reporter Glenn Greenwald, who later used Snowden’s stolen NSA documents in several stories, four months before he wrote the email.

The email was forwarded to the Signals Intelligence Oversight and Compliance training group – the designers of the test – back to the OGC and then to two attorneys as the offices apparently sought to figure out who should answer the question. One of the lawyers ended up responding to Snowden.

“Executive Orders (E.O.s) have the ‘force and effect of law,’” the email said. “That said, you are correct that E.O.s cannot override a statute.”

The released documents contain no further written correspondence with Snowden regarding the issue. The files, however, do show a back-and-forth debate over the merits of releasing the Snowden email, a seemingly innocuous communication that does not appear to show an employee deeply troubled by domestic and foreign spying. The discussion centered on how NSA employees viewed the email, and how others might spin it.

Less than six weeks after he sent the April 2013 email, Snowden fled to Hong Kong with thousands of classified government documents. He is now in Russia.

“To the extent Snowden was saying he raised his concerns internally within NSA, no rational person could read this as being anything other than a question about an unclear single page of training,” Robert Litt, the general counsel of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, told Vice News.

The newly released emails also provide the first official confirmation that Snowden worked with the CIA, Vice News reported. An email from the NSA to all agency employees sent on June 10, 2013, identified Snowden as a “current NSA contractor and former CIA affiliate.”

Oregon livestock company wins trade-secret injunction

Sun, 05 Jun 2016 15:56:18 -0400

An Oregon livestock company has won an injunction against a former employee accused of stealing trade secrets to start his own company in China.

OmniGen Research of Corvallis, Oregon, has filed a lawsuit saying that scientist Yongqiang Wang is trying to sell knock-offs of its feed additives in violation of confidentiality agreements, The Capital Press reported (https://is.gd/SCjwjL).

U.S. District Judge Michael McShane has ordered Wang and his wife, as well as the companies under their control, to stop using any of Omnigen's copyrighted materials and trade secrets. The preliminary injunction also instructs them to return all materials pertaining to Omnigen's technology, and turn over their electronic media.

OmniGen was founded in 2002 by Oregon State University professor Neil Forsberg and his graduate student, Steve Puntenney, who developed patented feed additives aimed at counteracting hemmorhagic bowel syndrome in dairy cows.

A decade later, the firm was bought for nearly $23 million by the Phibro Animal Health Corp., a publicly-traded company based in New York.

About 20 percent of the U.S. dairy cow herd is treated with OmniGen products, which are also catching on in several foreign countries and have received regulatory approval to be sold in China, according to Phibro financial documents.

According to OmniGen's lawsuit, cofounder Forsberg took Wang "under his wing" when Wang was an Oregon State graduate student and asked him to join the company.

"However, at some point, Wang apparently decided he owed no loyalty to OmniGen Research," the complaint said. "So, while continuing to work at OmniGen Research, he shirked his contractual and fiduciary obligations to secretly form two businesses, Bioshen and Mirigen, to compete with OmniGen Research with the help of his wife and associates."

Wang allegedly took out a "sham" patent in China for products with similar ingredients as OmniGen's, the complaint said.

Last year, the companies formed by Wang held a symposium on livestock health in China at which he presented OmniGen's "illegally copied" copyrighted slides, the complaint said.

In response to the complaint, Wang denies he relied on any of OmniGen's trade secrets or confidential information.

OmniGen's methods of testing feed additives, as well as its "processes for making additives, sourcing ingredients, mixing ingredients, ingredient ratios and scientific knowledge" do not qualify as trade secrets, according to Wang's response.

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Information from: Capital Press, http://www.capitalpress.com/washington

The Latest: Convicted spy Jonathan Pollard checks in at federal probation office in New York

Fri, 20 Nov 2015 09:02:01 -0500

The latest on the release of convicted spy Jonathan Pollard (all times local):

9:50 a.m.

Convicted spy Jonathan Pollard has checked in at a federal probation office in New York following his release from a prison North Carolina.

Pollard served 30 years for selling intelligence secrets to Israel.

Pollard's release caps an extraordinary espionage case that complicated American-Israeli relations for 30 years.

But his legal fight isn't over. Shortly after his release, Pollard's attorneys began a court challenge to terms of his parole that they called "onerous and oppressive."

A video taken by a WCBS journalist showed Pollard walking into the federal courthouse in Manhattan with his wife, Esther, on Friday morning.

___

5 a.m.

Israel says the United States has freed convicted spy Jonathan Pollard from federal prison after nearly 30 years and the Israeli prime minister has issued a statement welcoming the release.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in the statement on Friday that "the people of Israel welcome the release of Jonathan Pollard. After three long and difficult decades, Jonathan has been reunited with his family. May this Sabbath bring him much joy and peace."

There was no immediate confirmation of the release from U.S. officials.

The release of Pollard, 61, marks the end an espionage case that divided public opinion and became both an irritant and a periodic bargaining chip between the United States and Israel.

No explosives, terrorism links found in home, car of man shot trying to get on base

Tue, 16 Jun 2015 15:53:32 -0400

The armed man who was shot and critically wounded while trying to get into Little Rock Air Force Base had no ties to terrorist groups, and a search of his home and vehicle turned up no explosives, authorities said Tuesday.

The FBI identified the man as 43-year-old Larry McElroy of Jacksonville, the city that abuts the sprawling base. Investigators have said he drove his SUV over a curb outside the base's main gate on Monday and struck a street sign, then was shot by guards after he exited the vehicle holding a rifle.

"There was no apparent motive nor any ties to terrorism," the FBI said in a statement released Tuesday morning.

McElroy, a civilian, remained in critical condition Tuesday at a Little Rock hospital, according the statement.

The FBI said bomb squads didn't find any explosives in his vehicle or his home in Jacksonville, the city that abuts the base about 15 miles northeast of Little Rock. The Pulaski County Sheriff's Office said it helped secure a property searched by the FBI shortly after the shooting, and public records show that a Larry D. McElroy Jr., 43, lives at that home.

The agency didn't release any details about McElroy, though court records show that he and a woman who lived with him at his Jacksonville home filed for bankruptcy in 2010. They reported more than $112,000 in assets and more than $230,000 in liabilities. An attorney who represented McElroy in that case, Mary Ellen Vandegrift, declined to comment Tuesday.

The base commander, Col. Charles Brown Jr, said Monday that it was unclear whether the man fired his weapon, how many shots were fired or if the man exchanged words with the two guards before the shooting. The base didn't immediately respond to a message seeking updates Tuesday from The Associated Press.

Brown also said it was unclear why McElroy wanted to get on the base, which is a major C-130 training facility and home to more than 8,000 active-duty military personnel and civilian employees. The C-130, an aircraft with a roughly 129-foot wingspan capable of carrying more than 40,000 pounds, is used to move troops and equipment into hostile areas.

The incident was reported around 9:15 a.m. near the main gate along busy U.S. 67 in Jacksonville. Heavily armed security personnel quickly sealed off access to the base, and the main gate was closed for several hours.

The commander said as the SUV approached, it hit and jumped a curb and knocked over a street sign. He said the man, whom Brown only described as white, then started to get out of the vehicle while holding a rifle.

"It appears he may have lost control of the vehicle," Brown said.

No one from the base was injured, and investigators were interviewing the guards, Brown said.

A bomb squad could be seen checking an SUV parked near a curb and sidewalk outside a visitor center at the base's main gate Monday afternoon. All four of its doors, along with its tailgate, were opened, and officials told those standing nearby to take cover behind other vehicles as workers wearing ordnance-disposal gear approached the vehicle.

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Associated Press writer Allen Reed contributed to this report from Little Rock.

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Follow Andrew DeMillo on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ademillo

Virginia man pleads guilty to attempted espionage for stealing aircraft carrier design details

Mon, 15 Jun 2015 17:48:57 -0400

A 35-year-old Virginia man has pleaded guilty to attempted espionage for providing schematics of an aircraft carrier under construction to someone he believed was an Egyptian intelligence officer.

Mostafa Awwad of Yorktown entered the plea in federal court in Norfolk on Monday.

Court records say Awwad tried to steal technical data in the designs of the USS Gerald R. Ford in October. The Ford is the first of the United States' next generation of aircraft carrier. Awwad provided computer drawings downloaded from the Navy to an undercover FBI agent.

Awwad worked as a civilian engineer at a Navy shipyard. He could face a maximum penalty of life in prison, but his plea agreement recommends a sentence of no more than 11 years. His sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 21.

Russian banker seeks NY spy case dismissal, says his work for a state-owned bank was proper

Thu, 11 Jun 2015 18:18:08 -0400

A Russian citizen who worked in New York City as a banker has asked a federal judge to toss out charges he participated in a Cold War-style Russian spy ring.

Lawyers for Evgeny Buryakov (YEHV'-geh-nee BUHR'-yah-kohv) filed papers Thursday in Manhattan federal court. They asked that charges brought against him after his January arrest be dismissed.

The lawyers say the United States has never before prosecuted a person working openly for a foreign state-owned agency.

Buryakov has pleaded not guilty to charges he conspired to spy and acted as a spy.

At the time he lived in the Bronx with his Russian wife and two children and worked at the Manhattan branch of a Russian bank. He arrived in the United States in 2010 and secured a work visa.

Citing history in spy case, NYC judge orders release of testimony by Ethel Rosenberg's brother

Fri, 22 May 2015 15:46:15 -0400

A New York judge has ordered the release of key grand jury testimony from 1950 that may give new fuel to suspicions that Ethel Rosenberg was unjustly convicted of espionage and put to death for conspiring to give nuclear secrets to the Soviet Union.

Federal Judge Alvin Hellerstein said testimony from Rosenberg's brother, David Greenglass, can be released because he died last year at 92.

The government could still appeal the order. A government spokeswoman declined to comment.

In a ruling this week, Hellerstein said Greenglass' testimony was a critical piece of an important moment in U.S. history. Ethel and her husband, Julius, were executed in 1953 for espionage conspiracy convictions.

Hellerstein noted Greenglass has said in interviews that prosecutors pressured him to falsify information about his sister.

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