Pentagon Contractor Faces Charges Over Alleged Classified Information Leak
A federal grand jury in Maryland has indicted a Pentagon contractor for allegedly leaking classified documents to a Washington Post reporter, an incident that triggered what the newspaper described as a "highly unusual and aggressive" FBI raid on the journalist's home. The case has raised significant concerns about press freedom and national security protocols.
Details of the Alleged Security Breach
According to the justice department, Aurelio Luis Perez-Lugones, a 61-year-old navy veteran from Laurel, Maryland, illegally provided sensitive and secret information "related to national defense" to a reporter. This information was reportedly used in at least five published articles. Perez-Lugones, who held a top secret security clearance as a systems engineer and IT specialist for a defense department contractor, was arrested on 8 January and has remained in custody since.
Prosecutors allege that Perez-Lugones engaged in a systematic effort to access and transmit classified materials:
- He took screenshots of top secret documents on multiple occasions since October
- He pasted these into Microsoft Word documents and other applications to conceal his unauthorized access
- He illegally transmitted photographs of the confidential documents
- Investigators found a lunch box in his car containing a document marked as "SECRET"
- Another document marked "SECRET" was discovered in the basement of his residence
The FBI Raid and Legal Developments
On 14 January, FBI agents raided the Virginia home of Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson, seizing multiple items including:
- Two laptops
- A hard drive
- A recording device
- Her smart watch
- A mobile phone
In a significant development this week, a federal judge temporarily blocked prosecutors from reviewing material taken during the raid while the court considers a request by the Post to return Natanson's equipment. The newspaper has argued that "the outrageous seizure of our reporter's confidential newsgathering materials chills speech, cripples reporting, and inflicts irreparable harm".
Official Statements and Press Freedom Concerns
Kash Patel, the FBI director, stated: "Perez-Lugones allegedly printed and removed classified documents from his workplace on multiple occasions, took them home, and later passed them to a reporter who used the information in news articles. Protecting our country's secrets is essential to the safety of our most sensitive intelligence, military, and law enforcement operations."
Kelly Hayes, the US attorney for the district of Maryland, emphasized: "The indictment charges that Perez-Lugones willfully transmitted national defense information to a news reporter, placing our national security at risk. Protecting sensitive national security information is a core responsibility of the Department of Justice."
Press freedom advocates have expressed alarm about the implications of the FBI raid. Bruce D Brown, president of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, noted that "physical searches of reporters' devices, homes and belongings are some of the most invasive investigative steps law enforcement can take".
Potential Consequences and Broader Implications
If convicted, Perez-Lugones faces up to 10 years in federal prison for each count of retention and transmission of national defense information. The case has prompted an alliance of press freedom groups to write to Congress demanding an investigation into whether the government is undermining First Amendment protections.
Emily Peterson-Cassin, policy director of Demand Progress, stated: "By raiding Hannah Natanson's home and seizing her devices, the government threatened bedrock principles of our Constitution and a free society. Congress has a responsibility to investigate whether the government is undermining the first amendment and a free press by targeting and threatening a reporter like this."
The indictment against Perez-Lugones includes five charges related to mishandling classified information, though it does not identify the journalist or their employer involved in the case. Attorneys for Perez-Lugones have not yet responded to requests for comment on the charges.
