Category Archives: Nghia Pho

Former NSA contractor sentenced to 9 years for theft of government info

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Former NSA contractor Harold T. Martin was sentenced Friday to 9 years in prison for his role in a massive theft of classified documents. Martin was responsible for one of the largest leaks of U.S government secrets, after it was found that the former NSA contractor possessed up to 50 terabytes of classified government documents he collected over the course of two decades. Judge Richard Bennett’s sentence falls short of the maximum number of years Martin previously face — 10 years for each of the 20 counts against him — for unauthorized and willful retention of national defense information. However, the sentence aligns with the plea agreement his public defenders reached with the U.S. government. The U.S. attorneys said his theft called for “significant” prison time, according to the government’s sentencing memorandum, which CyberScoop obtained. “The exceptionally grave nature and circumstances of the defendant’s criminal conduct call for a significant […]

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Former NSA employee sentenced to 66 months for taking home classified info

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Former National Security Agency employee Nghia H. Pho was sentenced to 66 months in prison Tuesday for taking home highly classified NSA hacking tools between 2010 and 2015, some of which were later released to the public. Pho pleaded guilty in December to one count of removal and retention of national defense information. The government was seeking a sentence of 96 months. Pho appeared Tuesday in U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland for the sentencing. The case marks the third instance in the past three years in which a NSA employee or contractor had been charged with mishandling classified information. In October 2016, it was revealed that an NSA contractor, Harold Martin, had approximately 50 terabytes worth of classified data in his Maryland home. It was reported in January that Martin would plead guilty, but no plea has been entered. Another contractor, Reality Winner, was arrested after leaking a classified […]

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Former NSA employee pleads guilty to taking classified information home

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Former National Security Agency employee Nghia H. Pho, 67, pleaded guilty on Friday to one count of removal and retention of national defense information. Prosecutors agreed to ask for no more than an eight year prison sentence. Pho worked for NSA’s Tailored Access Operations (TAO), the offensive hacking unit of the agency. The classified documents the former NSA software developer illegally took home between 2010 and 2015 were reportedly subsequently stolen by Russian intelligence. “In connection with his employment, Pho held various security clearances and had access to national defense and classified information,” according to a Justice Department statement. “Pho also worked on highly classified, specialized projects.” Pho was born in Vietnam and lives in Ellicott City, Md. He is a United States citizen. Pho remains free until sentencing, but his passport has been revoked. The case marks the third instance in the past two years in which a NSA employee has been charged with mishandling classified information. […]

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