The U.S. Department of Justice announced a 10-count indictment charging Thomas Drake, a former National Security Agency senior executive with willfully retaining classified information, obstruction of justice and making false statements.
Drake, who was employed at the NSA from 2001 to 2008, allegedly served as the confidential source of newspaper reporter for a series of articles published between February 2006 and November 2007. During this time, Drake allegedly researched stories for the reporter, providing both classified and unclassified documents from the NSA's classified network, and reviewed and helped edit drafts of the reporter's articles.
According to the press release:
The indictment also alleges that Drake took a series of steps to facilitate the provision of this information to the reporter, including:
- exchanging hundreds of e-mails with and meeting with the reporter;
- researching stories for the reporter to write in the future by e-mailing unwitting NSA employees and accessing classified and unclassified documents on classified NSA networks;
- copying and pasting classified and unclassified information from NSA documents into untitled word processing documents which, when printed, had the classification markings removed;
- printing both classified and unclassified documents, bringing them to his home, and retaining them there without authority;
- scanning and emailing electronic copies of classified and unclassified documents to the reporter from his home computer; and
- reviewing, commenting on, and editing drafts of the reporter’s articles.
Drake is charged with five counts of willfully retaining documents that relate to the national defense, obstruction of justice, and four counts of making false statements to the FBI. He faces a maximum penalty of 90 years in prison and $2.5 million in fines.
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