Ex-NSA contractor pleads guilty to vast classified data leak, faces 9 years in prison

A former National Security Agency contractor accused of one of the largest breaches of classified data in U.S. history pleaded guilty Thursday to one felony count and faces over six more years in federal prison. Appearing solemn and weary in federal court in Baltimore, Harold T. Martin III, 54, seemed to embrace his fate, telling the judge more than once, “It’s time [to] close Pandora’s Box.” Martin, who worked as an intelligence contractor for multiple firms for over two decades, allegedly stole some 50 terabytes of data that included details of sensitive NSA policies and cyber operations. Prosecutors said he stashed numerous computers and storage devices with classified data on his Maryland property. Under the plea deal, Martin, a former Navy lieutenant, faces nine years in prison and another three years of supervised release. He will be credited for the more than two years he has already served in custody […]

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Ex-NSA contractor set to plead guilty for theft of top secret information

A former National Security Agency contractor accused of perhaps the largest theft of government secrets in U.S. history is expected to plead guilty Thursday in federal court, according to court records. Harold T. Martin III has been charged with 20 counts of unauthorized and willful retention of national defense information in 2017. His trial was scheduled to start in June, but a rearraignment — a hearing held when a defendant is changing a plea — has been scheduled for 3 p.m. Thursday in Baltimore, Maryland. Martin, a former Navy officer turned defense contractor, was indicted for allegedly stealing and hoarding secret documents that outline U.S. hacking operations. Martin worked in a supporting role for multiple intelligence agencies — including the NSA and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence — during his employment at several different federal consulting firms. Investigators found over the course of their investigation that Martin had removed […]

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