Pasco high teacher, ex charged in espionage
tri-cityherald.com
Kennewick, Pasco, Richland, WA
By The Associated Press and the Herald staff
FBI agents arrested and charged a Pasco High School special education teacher and her ex- husband, a former Washington Army National Guard officer, with espionage.
The government declined to release details, but a federal attorney said the case "involves the sale of 'top secret' and 'secret' documents involved with the defense of the United States" during a court session in Spokane.
Deborah Davila-Cummings, 46, and Rafael Davila, 51, were arrested Tuesday and were being held without bail. Authorities have not said where.
The two were scheduled to make court appearances today in Spokane.
Pasco School District officials said Davila-Cummings currently was employed by the district, but wouldn't say how long she had worked there. Pasco High staff members were summoned to a special meeting after school Wednesday about the incident.
"At this point, we haven't been contacted by any investigative agencies," said Fay Tolley Smith, district spokeswoman. "We're going strictly on the news reports. ... It's a bit of a shock here."
Officials for the Justice Department in Washington, D.C., the U.S. Attorney's Office in Spokane and the FBI in Spokane and Seattle declined to provide any details.
"Clearly we can't comment on those things for national security reasons," said Ray Lauer, an FBI spokesman in Seattle.
The indictment said that between Jan. 1 and Aug. 20, 1999, both defendants had unauthorized possession of sensitive documents and attempted to deliver them to Kirk Lyons of North Carolina, an attorney for well-known racists. He is named in the indictment, but not charged, reported The Spokesman-Review.
Lyons has represented Ku Klux Klan and Posse Comitatus leaders in past trials.
The indictment also contends that around Aug. 20, 1999, Davila-Cummings made a false statement to federal agents that she did not recognize the name of Lyons and was certain she had never met him. The indictment said she knew those statements were false.
Davila-Cummings also was indicted for allegedly trying between Aug. 1-15, 1999, to deliver the documents.
Davila-Cummings has visited the former Aryan Nations compound in north Idaho and has ties to certain Aryan Nations members, according to The Spokesman-Review.
The indictment does not say what connection, if any, Lyons has with the case.
Lyons, an attorney in Black Mountain, N.C., said Wednesday that he did not know Rafael Davila, barely knew Davila-Cummings and had no connection to any espionage.
"That's the most hilarious, funny, ridiculous thing I've heard in my life," Lyons said, questioning the reliability of any informants who might have given the government information about the Davilas. "It sounds like flaky people squealing to the government for money."
He said he knew Davila-Cummings only from Scottish dance events a decade ago in the Spokane area. He said Davila-Cummings also attended the wedding of Lyons and his wife, which was performed by Aryan Nations founder Richard Butler at the white supremacist group's former compound near Hayden, Idaho.
He also said Davila-Cummings would be an unlikely spy.
"Deborah is a nice girl, but she doesn't have the brains to be a spy," Lyons said.
Rafael Davila was arrested at his parents' home in Ontario, Ore., authorities said. His former wife was arrested at her home in College Place.
More evidence that there's unadulterated propaganda in this article. White supremacists don't assemble in lodges, convention centers, houses, or the like ... only in "compounds".