State Department Employee Arrested and Charged With Concealing Extensive Contacts With

Department of Justice (DOJ) ^ | March 29, 2017 | Office of Public Affairs

[PA Engineer]

State Department Employee Arrested and Charged With Concealing Extensive Contacts With Foreign Agents

A federal complaint was unsealed today charging Candace Marie Claiborne, 60, of Washington, D.C., and an employee of the U.S. Department of State, with obstructing an official proceeding and making false statements to the FBI, both felony offenses, for allegedly concealing numerous contacts that she had over a period of years with foreign intelligence agents.

The charges were announced by Acting Assistant Attorney General Mary B. McCord for National Security, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips of the District of Columbia and Assistant Director in Charge Andrew W. Vale of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.

“Candace Marie Claiborne is a U.S. State Department employee who possesses a Top Secret security clearance and allegedly failed to report her contacts with Chinese foreign intelligence agents who provided her with thousands of dollars of gifts and benefits,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General McCord. “Claiborne used her position and her access to sensitive diplomatic data for personal profit. Pursuing those who imperil our national security for personal gain will remain a key priority of the National Security Division.”

“Candace Claiborne is charged with obstructing an official proceeding and making false statements in connection with her alleged concealment and failure to report her improper connections to foreign contacts along with the tens of thousands of dollars in gifts and benefits they provided,” said U.S. Attorney Phillips. “As a State Department employee with a Top Secret clearance, she received training and briefing about the need for caution and transparency. This case demonstrates that U.S. government employees will be held accountable for failing to honor the trust placed in them when they take on such sensitive assignments”

“Candace Claiborne is accused of violating her oath of office as a State Department employee, who was entrusted with Top Secret information when she purposefully mislead federal investigators about her significant and repeated interactions with foreign contacts," said Assistant Director in Charge Vale. "The FBI will continue to investigate individuals who, though required by law, fail to report foreign contacts, which is a key indicator of potential insider threats posed by those in positions of public trust.”

The FBI arrested Claiborne on March 28. She made her first appearance this afternoon in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

According to the affidavit in support of the complaint and arrest warrant, which was unsealed today, Claiborne began working as an Office Management Specialist for the Department of State in 1999. She has served overseas at a number of posts, including embassies and consulates in Baghdad, Iraq, Khartoum, Sudan, and Beijing and Shanghai, China. As a condition of her employment, Claiborne maintains a Top Secret security clearance. Claiborne also is required to report any contacts with persons suspected of affiliation with a foreign intelligence agency.

Despite such a requirement, the affidavit alleges, Claiborne failed to report repeated contacts with two intelligence agents of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), even though these agents provided tens of thousands of dollars in gifts and benefits to Claiborne and her family over five years. According to the affidavit, the gifts and benefits included cash wired to Claiborne’s USAA account, an Apple iPhone and laptop computer, Chinese New Year’s gifts, meals, international travel and vacations, tuition at a Chinese fashion school, a fully furnished apartment, and a monthly stipend. Some of these gifts and benefits were provided directly to Claiborne, the affidavit alleges, while others were provided through a co-conspirator.

According to the affidavit, Claiborne noted in her journal that she could “Generate 20k in 1 year” working with one of the PRC agents, who, shortly after wiring $2,480 to Claiborne, tasked her with providing internal U.S. Government analyses on a U.S.-Sino Strategic Economic Dialogue that had just concluded.

Claiborne, who allegedly confided to a co-conspirator that the PRC agents were “spies,” willfully misled State Department background investigators and FBI investigators about her contacts with those agents, the affidavit states. After the State Department and FBI investigators contacted her, Claiborne also instructed her co-conspirators to delete evidence connecting her to the PRC agents, the affidavit alleges.

Charges contained in a criminal complaint are merely allegations, and every defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

The maximum penalty for a person convicted of obstructing an official proceeding is 20 years in prison. The maximum penalty for making false statements to the FBI is five years in prison. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes. If convicted of any offense, the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

At her court appearance today, Claiborne pleaded not guilty before the Honorable Magistrate Judge Robin M. Meriweather. A preliminary hearing was set for April 18.

The FBI’s Washington Field Office is leading the investigation into this matter. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys John L. Hill and Thomas A. Gillice for the District of Columbia and Trial Attorney Julie Edelstein of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.

[thinden]

This is chump change compared to the billions hildabeast skammed

[Gene Eric]

>> [The leakers] must be quaking in their boots right about now.

Yup — traitors of the worst kind.

This is the time for the good gals & guys in the agencies to help expose and force out the crap.

MAGA!

[Gene Eric]

+1

[dragnet2]

Good find, I have not seen it. Amazing.

[Reverend Wright]

Not only is she a Chinese spy and traitor, she is also a moslem !

210. The next day, on or about August24,20l6, Claibome sent Co-Conspirator A an e-card message using the service Birthday Alarm. The message’s subject was Happy Birthday,” even though Co-Cobspirator A’s birthday occu:red five days before, and Claibome had conveyed birthday geetings by phone to Co-Conspirator A on his actual birthday. The message, however, had little to do with Co-Conspirator A’s birthday. To the contrary, it read, “I hope you enjoyed your day. May Al1ah bless you with health and happiness. Btw delete all email messages and cotrtact information in your email and phone pertaining to [Co-Conspirator B] and [Co-Conspirator C] - I don’t want any trouble going forward ok - please do this immediately! Messages, nos, anything having to do with that fashion school your apartment anything - even from wechat, fb, slqpe, etc u got me?”

https://www.justice.gov/opa/press-release/file/953321/download

[dragnet2]

Didn’t they used to call this spying?

[dragnet2]

Friday night dump for DOJ?

[LucyT]

A federal complaint was unsealed today charging Candace Marie Claiborne, 60, of Washington, D.C., and an employee of the U.S. Department of State, with obstructing an official proceeding and making false statements to the FBI, both felony offenses, for allegedly concealing numerous contacts that she had over a period of years with foreign intelligence agents.

[snip]

“Candace Marie Claiborne is a U.S. State Department employee who possesses a Top Secret security clearance and allegedly failed to report her contacts with Chinese foreign intelligence agents who provided her with thousands of dollars of gifts and benefits,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General McCord. “Claiborne used her position and her access to sensitive diplomatic data for personal profit. Pursuing those who imperil our national security for personal gain will remain a key priority of the National Security Division.”

Thanks, bitt.

[Strac6]

“Claiborne maintains a Top Secret security clearance. Claiborne is required to report any contacts with persons suspected of affiliation with a foreign intelligence agency.

Despite such a requirement, the affidavit alleges, Claiborne failed to report repeated contacts with two intelligence agents of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), even though these agents provided tens of thousands of dollars in gifts and benefits to Claiborne and her family over five years. According to the affidavit, the gifts and benefits included cash wired to Claiborne’s USAA account, an Apple iPhone and laptop computer, Chinese New Year’s gifts, meals, international travel and vacations, tuition at a Chinese fashion school, a fully furnished apartment, and a monthly stipend. Some of these gifts and benefits were provided directly to Claiborne, the affidavit alleges, while others were provided through a co-conspirator.

According to the affidavit, Claiborne noted in her journal that she could “Generate 20k in 1 year” working with one of the PRC agents, who, shortly after wiring $2,480 to Claiborne, tasked her with providing internal U.S. Government analyses on a U.S.-Sino Strategic Economic Dialogue that had just concluded.

Claiborne, who allegedly confided to a co-conspirator that the PRC agents were “spies,” willfully misled State Department background investigators and FBI investigators about her contacts with those agents, the affidavit states. After the State Department and FBI investigators contacted her, Claiborne also instructed her co-conspirators to delete evidence connecting her to the PRC agents, the affidavit alleges.”

She be fooked!

[sport]

Evidently the DNC did not get their cut of the loot.

[DiogenesLamp]

These people, and sadly I am of the opinion that there are many of them scattered throughout our government, pose the single greatest threat to our safety and security.

I personally think the Liberal Media propaganda agents who control the information streams to the public, constitute the greatest threat to our safety and security.

Remember, without those New York media liars manipulating the news, the public would never have elected Clinton or Obama.

So far as i'm concerned, the distortion of the electorate caused by media liars has already done countless damage to this country and it's people.

At all costs we need to destroy the liberal media monopoly of information control and distribution. We need equal time on that trillion dollar broadcasting infrastructure before we can ever fix the damage they have done.

[PA Engineer]

Not only is she a Chinese spy and traitor, she is also a moslem !

Woah. And, Co-Conspirator A, Co-Conspirator B, Co-Conspirator C, ...

[arrogantsob]

Another domino falls. Many to follow.

[Ciexyz]

Btt

[Steve_Seattle]

I don’t know how this story found its way to FR, but was it reported on ANY MSM network?

[Rome2000]

She should have went big like SHRILLARY.

Unfreakin believable.

[easternsky]

Those Liars are not going to give us anything, they are just as dirty

[dragnet2]

We'll be hearing more about Ms. Candace Marie Claiborne. She looks looks like such a happy party girl.

Yet another democrat Clinton supporter and spy.

[PA Engineer]

I don’t know how this story found its way to FR, but was it reported on ANY MSM network?

I reviewed it from a newsfeed online. I have not seen it on any of the occupation news networks. They keep pointing at the squirrel to cover up the swamp disaster.

We are on our own when it comes unearthing real news and distributing it.

[knarf]

Quick, most important information / data