Posted on 06/02/2008 12:37:31 PM PDT by GATOR NAVY
NORFOLK
A 20-year Coast Guard veteran was sentenced today to 9 months in federal prison for passing confidential information to his mistress, the owner of a fishing fleet who was convicted of hiring illegal immigrant workers.
Morris Wade Hughes of Chesapeake, a petty officer, also was ordered to serve 150 days of home confinement after his release from prison. U.S. District Judge Raymond A. Jackson imposed a $2,000 fine as well.
During a three-year affair with Michelle Peabody, whose family runs Peabody Corp., a commercial fishing company based in Newport News, Hughes passed confidential information to Peabody regarding the location of competing vessels as well as other information.
Hughes, a law enforcement officer with the service, sought to avoid prison time. But Jackson found that Hughes’ violation of public trust was deserving of some incarceration. Peabody was also sentenced to a short prison term for hiring undocumented workers.
(Excerpt) Read more at hamptonroads.com ...
Fishing company operator sentenced to jail for hiring illegal immigrants
Home confinement? How does that work?
Electronic incarceration. He will wear a locked on ankle band with a locater that will alarm if he leaves the area of his home or possibly will be required to phone the police to respond with a code as proof that he is still at home.
My neighbor across the street had that for a DUI. His responder had a port he was required to blow into to prove he had not been drinking.
From this article:
During a three-year affair with Michelle Peabody, whose family runs Peabody Corp., a commercial fishing company based in Newport News, Hughes passed confidential information to Peabody regarding the location of competing vessels as well as other information.
From and earlier article:
http://hamptonroads.com/2008/02/coast-guardsman-guilty-passing-info-immigration-probe
“The picture was not classified information, but Hughes’ superiors were not happy when they found out about it. They launched an investigation into Hughes that uncovered the illegal aliens working for the Peabodys.”
Very odd indeed.
The civic version of “Trust But Verify.”
ping
I read on a fishing message board where the info that was sent to the mistress were Coast Guard maps of areas closed to commercial fishing. This data is public knowledge.
Methinks the meat of the infraction was for using a government computer to access and email Coast Guard data, public or not.
“During a three-year affair with Michelle Peabody, whose family runs Peabody Corp., a commercial fishing company based in Newport News, Hughes passed confidential information to Peabody regarding the location of competing vessels as well as other information.”
Am I right in assuming this will probably lead to a dishonorable discharge (or whatever the appropriate equivalent is called) and a loss of pension on top of the jail time and court fine?
Ah, just read the post about locations of the competitor’s fishing.
I would think so but you never know.
From this link provided by PurpleMan:
http://hamptonroads.com/2008/02/coast-guardsman-guilty-passing-info-immigration-probe
“The Coast Guard is currently pursuing discharge proceedings against Hughes, according to the court records.”
What if he has a family emergency?
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