Posted on 10/20/2009 2:23:28 AM PDT by Cindy
Note: The following text is a quote:
Maryland Scientist Charged with Attempted Espionage
WASHINGTON—A Maryland scientist who once worked in varying capacities for the Department of Energy, the Department of Defense and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration has been arrested for attempted espionage, David Kris, Assistant Attorney General for National Security, Channing D. Phillips, Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, and Joseph Persichini, Jr., Assistant Director for the FBI’s Washington Field Office, announced today.
A criminal complaint unsealed today in the District of Columbia charges Stewart David Nozette, 52, of Chevy Chase, Maryland, with attempted espionage for knowingly and willfully attempting to communicate, deliver, and transmit classified information relating to the national defense of the United States to an individual that Nozette believed to be an Israeli intelligence officer. The complaint does not allege that the government of Israel or anyone acting on its behalf committed any offense under U.S. laws in this case.
Nozette was arrested earlier today by FBI agents and is expected to make his initial appearance tomorrow in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.
“The conduct alleged in this complaint is serious and should serve as a warning to anyone who would consider compromising our nation’s secrets for profit,” said David Kris, Assistant Attorney General for National Security.
“Those who would put our nation’s defense secrets up for sale can expect to be vigorously prosecuted,” said Channing D. Phillips, Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. “This case reflects our firm resolve to hold accountable any individual who betrays the public trust by compromising our national security for his or her own personal gain.”
“The FBI is committed to protecting the nation’s classified information and pursuing those who attempt to profit from its release or sale,” said Joseph Persichini, Jr., Assistant Director for the FBI’s Washington Field Office.
According to an affidavit in support of the criminal complaint, Nozette received a Ph.D. in Planetary Sciences from MIT in 1983, and worked at the White House on the National Space Council, Executive Office of the President, in 1989 and 1990. He developed the Clementine bi-static radar experiment that purportedly discovered water on the south pole of the moon. Nozette also worked at the Department of Energy's Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory from approximately 1990 to 1999 where he designed highly advanced technology. At the Department of Energy, Nozette held a special security clearance equivalent to the Defense Department Top Secret and Critical Nuclear Weapon Design Information clearances. Department of Energy clearances apply to access to information specifically relating to atomic or nuclear-related materials.
Nozette was also the President, Treasurer and Director of the Alliance for Competitive Technology (ACT), a non-profit corporation that he organized in March 1990. Between January 2000 and February 2006, Nozette, through his company ACT, entered into several agreements to develop advanced technology for the U.S. government. Nozette performed some of this research and development at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C., the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency in Arlington, Virginia, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. From 1989 through 2006, Nozette held security clearances as high as Top Secret and had regular, frequent access to classified information and documents related to the U.S. national defense.
According to the affidavit, on Sept. 3, 2009, Nozette was contacted via telephone by an individual purporting to be an Israeli intelligence officer, but who was in fact an undercover employee of the FBI (UCE). During that call, Nozette agreed to meet with the UCE later that day at a hotel in Washington D.C. According to the affidavit, Nozette met with the UCE that day and discussed his willingness to work for Israeli intelligence.
Nozette allegedly informed the UCE that he had, in the past, held top security clearances and had access to U.S. satellite information. Nozette also allegedly said that he would be willing to answer questions about this information in exchange for money. The UCE explained to Nozette that the Israeli intelligence agency, or “Mossad,” would arrange for a communication system so that Nozette could pass information to the Mossad in a post office box. Nozette agreed to provide regular, continuing information to the UCE and asked for an Israeli passport According to the affidavit, Nozette and the UCE met again on Sept. 4, 2009, in the same hotel. During the meeting, Nozette allegedly informed the UCE that, although he no longer had legal access to any classified information at a U.S. government facility, he could, nonetheless, recall the classified information to which he had been granted access, indicating that it was all still in his head. In the meeting, Nozette allegedly asked when he could expect to receive his first payment, specifying that he preferred to receive cash amounts “under ten thousand” so he didn’t have to report it. At the conclusion of this meeting, Nozette allegedly informed the UCE, “Well I should tell you my first need is that they should figure out how to pay me . . . they don't expect me to do this for free.”
On or about Sept. 10, 2009, undercover FBI agents left a letter in the designated post office box for Nozette. In the letter, the FBI asked Nozette to answer a list of questions concerning U.S. satellite information. The undercover agents also provided a $2,000 cash payment for Nozette. The serial numbers of the bills were recorded. Nozette retrieved the questions and the money from the post office the same day.
On or about Sept. 16, 2009, Nozette was captured on videotape leaving a manila envelope in the designated post office box in the District of Columbia. The next day, FBI agents retrieved the sealed manila envelope that Nozette had dropped off and found, among other things, a one-page document containing answers to the questions posed by the undercover agents and an encrypted computer thumb drive. One of answers provided by Nozette contained information classified as Secret, which concerned capabilities of a prototype overhead collection system. In addition, Nozette allegedly offered to reveal additional classified information that directly concerned nuclear weaponry, military spacecraft or satellites, and other major weapons systems. Also on or about Sept. 17, 2009, undercover FBI agents left a second letter in the post office box for Nozette. In the letter, the FBI asked Nozette to answer another list of questions concerning U.S. satellite information. The FBI also left a cash payment of $9,000 in the post office box. Nozette allegedly retrieved the questions and the money from the post office box later that same day.
On or about October 1, 2009, Nozette was filmed on videotape leaving a manila envelope in the post office box. Later that day, FBI agents retrieved the manila envelope left by Nozette and found a second set of answers from him. The answers contained information classified as both Top Secret and Secret that concerned U.S. satellites, early warning systems, means of defense or retaliation against large-scale attack, communications intelligence information, and major elements of defense strategy.
This investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Washington Field Office with assistance from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service and the Air Force Office of Special Investigations.
The prosecution is being handled by Trial Attorneys Deborah A. Curtis and Heather M. Schmidt, from the Counterespionage Section of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Asuncion, from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
The public is reminded that a criminal complaint contains mere allegations and that every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Chances are they will....Given the moslem control of the WH these days....
Hey, Pollard, meet your new wife...
It does rather smack of entrapment, not that that excuses him morally.
The Pollard case was repulsive in that an ally sold critical defense information to the Soviets. (Pollard turned over information to Isreal who traded it to the Soviets for Russian Jews.) Pollard was completely dispicable, the Israeli action perhaps understandable, but infuriating considering what we’ve done for Israel.
BTW, at work, in our latest security class, the fictional case study involved a false flag recruitment by a putative Israeli “agent” whose is never tracked down.
OPINION:
No excuse whatsoever for foreign espionage in country (whether it’s actual espionage or a sting operation).
If this gentleman is convicted; I do hope he gets the maximum sentence.
Wonder when they're going to pick up all the liberal Democrat maggots in the Senate and Congress.
And he allegedly was spying for Israel? Hmmmm? OK, if they (the so called enforcers) say so.
The only problem I have with this is why are they picking on this guy. BO releases classified information that hurts national security and he’s not arrested. The New York Slimes does it at least once a week and nothing happens.
I bet its because he thought he was helping Israel and that cannot be tolerated.
There is no excuse for espionage, but entrapment is an evil as well.
Strictly speaking, he cannot be convicted if entrapment was used. A judge may not let the case move forward.
It sounds like the guy acted from base motives, crass greed (and sold out too cheap). I hope he spends the rest of his miserable life in a dungeon, too. Pollard was no better, but like I said, I can understand the Israelis motives in that case, but I still find their behavior enfuriating.
From what I’ve read most spies start selling classified for only a few thousand dollars.
The executive authority of the President is plenary. (Not true, for instance, of the governor in my state, where there are other constitutional officers, such as the Attorney General and the Secretary of State.) The executive is vested with the authority to release any information he choses to whomsoever he choses.
If his behavior is treasonous, the Constitution provides a remedy.
Yes of course, but my point is valid.
The Walkers and Hansen had a better appreciation of the market.
Cripes, what would a foreign intelligence service have to spend to get even half of that information by technical means? On top of which, the data he gives them can be more precise and perhaps more reliable.
Once you got the spy hooked, he’s already sold out, you can start squeezing him.
If you’d like to be on or off, please FR mail me.
..................
I think Walker only made $300,000. His actions cost several billion and quite a few lives.
Correct, but $300,000 is a whole lot more than $2,000. I know, Walker and his son and confederates made numerous data dumps.
Whos lives did Walker cost? (I know Hansen got people killed.) Walker gave up cryptological information that lead to the Soviets reading a lot of classified traffic, including, presumably, the location and patrols of submarines. Very, very bad. I don’t think he was involved with any Humint?
Fill me in.
Most of the classified stuff I've seen would be worth 7 cents a pound. Still, there's rules about reporting suspicious contacts.
The thing that really puzzles me is why the FBI set its sights on him in the first place? What was he doing that caused THEM to initiate contact? At least that’s how the press release reads.
“Correct, but $300,000 is a whole lot more than $2,000. I know, Walker and his son and confederates made numerous data dumps”
The $300,000 was over the 25 years or so that Walker sold information.
“Whos lives did Walker cost?”
Because of Walker the Russians knew where the B-52s would be flying over Vietnam. Thats just one example and most of is probably still classified and never released.
“The thing that really puzzles me is why the FBI set its sights on him in the first place?”
They routinely follow people with clearances and access to sensitive information. They aren’t watching all the time but do watch people randomly.
One clue is when people start going to embassies trying to sell the information.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.