IT Help Desk Technician Charged With Transferring Classified Materials To A Foreign Government

 The U.S. Justice Department released the below information:

A U.S. government contractor was arrested on Aug. 24 based on espionage charges in a complaint unsealed today. Abraham Teklu Lemma, 50, a naturalized U.S. citizen of Ethiopian descent, of Silver Spring, Maryland, is charged with delivering national defense information to aid a foreign government, conspiracy to deliver national defense information to aid a foreign government, and the willful retention of national defense information.

According to the criminal complaint, between on or about Dec. 19, 2022, and Aug. 7, 2023, Lemma copied classified information from intelligence reports and deleted the classification markings from them. Lemma then removed the information, which was classified as SECRET and TOP SECRET, from secure facilities at the Department of State. This material related to a specific country and/or geographic region. Lemma accessed, copied, removed, and retained this information without authorization.

According to the charging documents, Lemma used an encrypted application to transmit classified national defense information to a foreign government official associated with a foreign country’s intelligence service. In these communications, Lemma expressed an interest and willingness to assist the foreign government official by providing information. In one communication, the foreign official stated, “[i]t’s time to continue ur support.” Lemma responded, “Roger that!” In other chats, the foreign official tasked Lemma to focus on information related to particular subjects, and Lemma responded “[a]bsolutely, I have been focusing on that all this week . . . .” As alleged in the criminal complaint, the classified national defense information Lemma transferred to the foreign official included satellite imagery and other information regarding military activities in the foreign country and region.

The two espionage charges carry a potential penalty of death or any term of years up to life in prison, and the willful retention charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. A federal judge will determine any sentence based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The FBI’s Washington Field Office, the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service, and the Justice Department’s Office of the Inspector General are investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tejpal Chawla and Alexandra Hughes for the District of Columbia and Trial Attorneys Heather Schmidt and Kathryn DeMarco of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case.

A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

The Chinese Communist Threat

The FBI offers a good video on the rise and ambitions of the Communist Chinese Government.

According to the FBI, the counterintelligence and economic espionage efforts emanating from the government of China and the Chinese Communist Party are a grave threat to the economic well-being and democratic values of the United States.

“Confronting this threat is the FBI’s top counterintelligence priority,” the FBI stated. “To be clear, the adversary is not the Chinese people or people of Chinese descent or heritage. The threat comes from the programs and policies pursued by an authoritarian government.

“The Chinese government is employing tactics that seek to influence lawmakers and public opinion to achieve policies that are more favorable to China. At the same time, the Chinese government is seeking to become the world’s greatest superpower through predatory lending and business practices, systematic theft of intellectual property, and brazen cyber intrusions.” 

The FBI notes that China's efforts target businesses, academic institutions, researchers, lawmakers, and the general public and will require a whole-of-society response. The government and the private sector must commit to working together to better understand and counter the threat. 

"The greatest long-term threat to our nation's information and intellectual property, and to our economic vitality, is the counterintelligence and economic espionage threat from China," said FBI Director Christopher Wray. 

You can watch the video via the below link:     

Made in Beijing: The Plan for Global Market Domination — FBI

You can also read my Philadelphia Weekly Crime Beat column on economic espionage below:

Note: You can click on the above to enlarge.

Mark Twain On Age

You can also read my Philadelphia Inquirer review of Chasing the Last Laugh: Mark Twain's Raucous and Redemptive Round-the-World Comedy Tour via the below link:

Paul Davis On Crime: My Philadelphia Inquirer Review of 'Chasing the Last Laugh: Mark Twain's Raucous And Redemptive Round-The-World Comedy Tour'

Navmar Applied Sciences Corporation Agrees To Pay $4.4 Million To Resolve Claims Of Double-Billing And Cost-Shifting Under U.S. Navy Contracts

The US Attorney’s Office in Philadelphia released the below information:

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced today that Navmar Applied Sciences Corporation (NASC), headquartered in Warminster, Pennsylvania, has agreed to pay $4.4 million to resolve allegations that NASC violated the False Claims Act by knowingly and improperly double-billing and shifting certain labor and material costs under a series of contracts with the U.S. Department of the Navy. Separately, NASC has also agreed to resolve administrative claims arising out of an audit by the Defense Contract Audit Agency of NASC’s incurred cost proposals for Fiscal Years 2011, 2012, and 2013.

The United States’ allegations under the False Claims Act arise from a series of contracts, awarded by the Navy to NASC between 2010 and 2012, for enhanced intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance systems, hardware, maintenance technical support services, and the development and rapid deployment of various advanced sensors and Unmanned Aerial Systems.

The United States alleged that under those government contracts, NASC knowingly and improperly billed the Navy for certain labor and material costs on one contract, and then billed the same costs on another contract, and was improperly paid twice. The United States further alleged that in multiple instances, NASC knowingly and improperly shifted the costs of materials from one contract to another, to avoid cost ceilings and maximize payments from the government to which NASC was not entitled.

“This settlement demonstrates the Justice Department’s commitment to take appropriate action when it determines that taxpayer dollars have been doubled-billed and improperly accounted for,” said U.S. Attorney Romero. “Cases such as this one should be seen as a warning to defense contractors that false claims have no place in military purchasing.”

“Investigating allegations of cost mischarging on Department of Defense (DoD) contracts is a top priority for the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), the law enforcement arm of the DoD Office of Inspector General,” stated Special Agent in Charge Patrick J. Hegarty, DCIS Northeast Field Office. “The DCIS is committed to working with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service and the Department of Justice to protect the integrity of the DoD procurement process. The Defense Contract Audit Agency’s Operations Investigative Support Division provided valuable expertise during this investigation.”

“Procurement fraud threatens military readiness and therefore poses a significant threat to our national security,” said Special Agent in Charge Gregory Gross of the NCIS Economic Crime Field Office. “NCIS remains committed to ensuring the good stewardship of U.S. taxpayer dollars by thoroughly investigating all allegations of fraud that damage the integrity of the Department of the Navy procurement process.”

The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, with investigative assistance from the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, the Defense Contract Audit Agency, and the Defense Contract Management Agency.

The matter is being handled in the U.S. Attorney’s Office by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Landon Y. Jones and Mark J. Sherer, and Auditor Dawn Wiggins.

Note: For a good number of years, I did security work for a Defense Department command in Philadelphia that oversaw contractors like Navmar for the U.S. Navy and the other military buying commands. 

As I noted in my Counterterrorism magazine piece on the Philadelphia Quartermaster bribery and procurement fraud case, I was involved in several investigations of contractor fraud and other crimes. 

You can read about the Quartermaster case via the below link:    

Paul Davis On Crime: A Look Back At The Multi-Million Dollar Defense Contract Fraud and Bribery Case At The Philadelphia Quartermaster

Former Civilian Navy Engineer Charged With Unlawful Disclosure

The U.S. Attorney's Office Eastern District of Pennsylvania released the below updated information on September 15th:

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced that Nicole K. Schuster, 32, of Revere, Massachusetts was charged by Information with disclosing contractor bid, proposal, and source information. Schuster was a mechanical engineer and “project lead” employed by the United States Department of the Navy (“the Navy”) at the Naval Foundry and Propeller Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (the “NFPC”).

According to the Information, in or about early 2019, Schuster began working as the project lead on a solicitation for a procurement contract for a submarine propeller-making machine known as a VTC. During the contracting and bidding process, Schuster favored one company, identified in the information as “Company 1,” over other competing companies. Schuster urged her superiors to make the contract for this VTC a “sole source” contract for Company 1. That is, she requested that the contracting process should be established in a manner that would ensure that Company 1 would be awarded the procurement contract. The NFPC and Defense Logistics Agency agreed to favor Company 1 in this process but did not agree to prevent other companies from pursuing the contract. Rather, they established a process that allowed other contractors to submit information and compete for the contract. 

The information further alleges that on or about September 14, 2019, Schuster sent a WhatsApp message to a representative of Company 1 expressing her “loyalty” to Company 1 and attaching to the message Company 2’s confidential and proprietary contractor bid, proposal, and source selection information for its VTC. The documents that Schuster provided to this representative of Company 1 were marked “SOURCE SELECTION INFORMATION,” “OFFICIAL USE ONLY,” and “[Company 2] Proprietary information.” The documents included cost and pricing data and proprietary information about manufacturing processes and techniques. This disclosure gave Company 1 a competitive advantage over Company 2 and other companies seeking to obtain the VTC contract.  

On or about April 28, 2020, the procurement contract for the VTC was awarded to Company 1 for a total price of $15,254,608.

The case was investigated by the Department of Defense, Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service and the U.S. Naval Criminal Investigative Service, Economic Crimes Field Office, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Louis D. Lappen.

An indictment, information, or criminal complaint is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

New Mexico Governor Orders 30-day Suspension Of Concealed And Open Carry Firearms

Broad + Liberty ran my piece on the New Mexico governor suspending gun rights.

You can read the piece via the below link or the below text: 

New Mexico Governor orders 30-day suspension of concealed and open carry firearms (broadandliberty.com)

Leave it to the Bee. 

In response to New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s executive order to suspend for 30 days the right to have concealed and open-carry firearms, the conservative satirists at the Babylon Bee once again offer the best response to a ridiculous government action:

“New Mexico — Criminals across New Mexico were ecstatic to hear from Governor Grisham today that no one in the state would be armed for an entire month.

“Oh, sweet!” said local carjacker Jeff Diggs. “It’s so stressful wondering if your next victim could be packing. Gosh, that’s such a weight off.”

“New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham made the announcement yesterday in a press conference, to resounding cheers from criminals across the state. “I just want every thief in our great state to know they have nothing to fear,” said Governor Grisham. “We’re delivering bold leadership on crime and making a statement to the nation. That statement is this: For the next month, criminals in New Mexico can rob and assault anyone with absolute impunity.”

Clever and funny, but it is no joke. Many others are outraged by the governor’s order.

In response to the shooting deaths of a thirteen-year-old girl on July 28, a five-year-old girl on August 14, and an eleven-year-old boy on September 6, as well as two mass shooting this year, the New Mexico governor declared gun violence a public health emergency and issued a public health order that suspends for 30 days the right to have concealed and open carry firearms in Albuquerque and Bernalillo County.

In a press release on September 8, the governor stated, “As I said yesterday, the time for standard measures has passed. And when New Mexicans are afraid to be in crowds, to take their kids to school, to leave a baseball game — when their very right to exist is threatened by the prospect of violence at every turn — something is very wrong.”

The governor signed an executive order declaring illegal drugs a public health emergency. Her action plan includes a suspension of open and concealed carry laws in Bernalillo County, temporarily prohibiting the carrying of guns on public property with certain exceptions, such as licensed security guards and law enforcement officers.

Citizens with permits to carry firearms are free to possess their weapons on private property (such as at a gun range or gun store), provided they transport the firearm in a locked box, use a trigger lock, or some other mechanism that renders the gun incapable of being fired. The public health order also directs restrictions.

Bernalillo County Sheriff John Allen responded to the governor’s executive order at a press conference, “It’s unconstitutional, so there’s no way we can enforce that order. This ban does nothing to curb gun violence.”

In a press release, Sheriff Allen stated, “Today, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham issued an emergency order temporarily suspending open and concealed carry laws in Albuquerque and throughout Bernalillo County for the next 30 days. 

“This move has been positioned as a response to the alarming and tragic rise in gun violence, particularly the heart-wrenching death of an eleven-year-old boy this past week. First and foremost, every lost life is a tragedy, and the well-being of our community is of paramount concern to the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office. We share in the collective grief and urgency to address this issue.

“However, as the elected Sheriff, I have reservations regarding this order. While I understand and appreciate the urgency, the temporary ban challenges the foundation of our Constitution, which I swore an oath to uphold. I am wary of placing my deputies in positions that could lead to civil liability conflicts, as well as the potential risks posed by prohibiting law-abiding citizens from their constitutional right to self-defense.”

Lawsuits and legislative action to counter the governor’s executive order are ongoing in New Mexico. If her order stands, similar executive orders will be issued across the country by other anti-gun activists and politicians.

I wonder if Philadelphia Mayor Kenney is upset that he didn’t think of issuing such an order in our city.

Gary Capuano, a retired Philadelphia Police sergeant, offered what he called his “two cents” on the governor’s executive order. 

“Governor Grisham is totally disregarding the Constitution of the U.S., specifically the Second Amendment,” the veteran police officer said. “She is another, in the line of many, who has violated her oath. Grisham is illegally taking legally owned firearms out of the hands of law-abiding citizens for their self-defense.

“Sounds like something a dictator would do. It’s weird how she and many other democratic leaders fail to understand that the criminals are the ones who are out there committing crimes, not the law-abiding citizens. This order not only tramples people’s rights, it puts all at risk. Grisham needs to be impeached. She tells the community to ‘step up, get loud.’ Some just love to keep people divided. These democratic governors and mayors always feel it necessary to attack the rights of the law-abiding instead of the criminal. A good start would be holding their criminals accountable! 

“These ‘leaders’ need not worry about the ban because they travel with their armed security teams paid for with our tax money. The silent majority need to stand up because leaders like Grisham are going to continue to chip away at our freedoms. These Mayors and Governors wonder why they can’t get any police recruits. They need look no further than in their own mirrors. Any law enforcement officer who even attempts to enforce this illegal order should be fired and ordered to turn in their credentials.” 

Thankfully, a federal judge appointed by President Biden temporarily blocked Governor Grisham’s executive order. U.S. District Court Judge David Urias stated that the governor’s 30-day suspension of concealed and open firearm carry rights violated a landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling on citizens’ right to carry a firearm outside their homes for self-defense.

Paul Davis, a Philadelphia writer and frequent contributor to Broad + Liberty, also contributes to Counterterrorism magazine and writes the On Crime column for the Washington Times. He can be reached via pauldavisoncrime.com.

Speaking To Michael G. Vickers, Former Green Beret, CIA Officer, Assistant Security Of Defense For Intelligence & Author Of 'All Means Available'

I interviewed Michale G. Vickers yesterday for The Journal of Counterterrorism & Homeland Security International. 

I discussed with Vickers his book, By All Means Available: Memoirs of a Life in Intelligence, Special Operations, and Strategy, and his government career, which began as an enlisted Green Beret.  He went on to serve as a CIA officer and later became the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Intelligence. 

“In 1984, Michael Vickers took charge of the CIA’s secret war against the Soviets in Afghanistan. After inheriting a strategy aimed at imposing costs on the Soviets for their invasion and occupation of Afghanistan, Vickers transformed the covert campaign into an all-out effort to help the Afghan resistance win their war. More than any other American, he was responsible for the outcome in Afghanistan that led to the end of the Cold War,” notes his publisher, Penguin Random House.   

“In By All Means Available, Vickers recounts his remarkable career, from his days as a Green Beret to his vision for victory in Afghanistan to his role in waging America’s war with al-Qa’ida at the highest levels of government. In captivating detail, he depicts his years in the Special Forces—including his training to parachute behind enemy lines with a backpack nuclear weapon in the event of a Soviet invasion of Western Europe—and reveals how those experiences directly influenced his approach to shaping policy. Vickers has played a significant role in most of the military and intelligence operations of the past four decades, and he offers a deeply informed analysis of the greatest challenges facing America today, and in the decades ahead.” 

Robert M. Gates, the CIA director from 1991–1993, and the Secretary of Defense from 2006–2011, wrote, “Mike Vickers has written the best and most comprehensive memoir yet about American military special operations and CIA covert actions during the last decade of the Cold War and the generation-long U.S. war against foreign terrorists. From running the Reagan administration’s war against the Soviets in Afghanistan to the killing of Usama Bin Ladin and beyond, Vickers was at the center of planning and implementing some of the most consequential secret presidential directives. His ability to think and plan both strategically and tactically was rare, but to add to that superb practical execution made Vickers a talent unique in the intelligence agencies and in the Department of Defense. From enlisted Green Beret to some of the most senior positions in government, Vickers saw it all, experienced it all. Readers of his memoir are in for a rare treat and a gripping story.”  

I’ll post my Q&A with Michael G. Vickers here when the magazine comes out.