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FBI Analyst Caught Passing Classified Information to Foreign Officials
by
Jim Kouri, CPP
An FBI intelligence analyst at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey and a former
official with the Philippines National Police were arrested and later
charged with acting as unregistered agents of a foreign official and
passing classified information to that official and others in the Republic
of the Philippines, according to officials at the Newark, NJ office of the
Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Leandro Aragoncillo, 46, a former U.S. Marine and recent FBI hire, was
arrested by Special Agents of the FBI at his home in Woodbury, New Jersey.
Michael Ray Aquino, 39, a Filipino national in the United States on an
expired visa, was arrested at his residence in Queens, N.Y. Both were
ordered detained pending trial.
The arrests of Leandro Aragoncillo and Michael Ray Aquino affirm the FBI's
commitment to apprehending those who would seek to reveal classified
information to foreign nationals, said a spokesperson for the FBI.
The criminal complaint alleges that Aragoncillo, an FBI intelligence
analyst since July 2004 at the Fort Monmouth Information Technology
Center, used an FBI database to search, download and print classified
documents concerning the Philippines.
Using his personal Yahoo! and Hotmail accounts, Aragoncillo allegedly sent
email messages, often with classified documents attached, to individuals
in the Philippines, including current and former officials of the
Philippine government. Those individuals are identified in the criminal
complaint as Public Official #1, a former high-level public official;
Public Official #2, a current high-level public official; and Public
Official #3, a second current high-level public official.
The FBI database accessed by Aragoncillo contained, among other things,
classified information and documents from the FBI and other federal
departments. Classified information is material that has been determined
to require protection against unauthorized disclosure for reasons of
national security and foreign relations. The three levels of
classification are "Top Secret," "Secret" and "Confidential."
The FBI began a field investigation of Aragoncillo in late July 2005. On
March 7, 2005, Aquino was arrested in New York by Special Agents of
Immigration and Customs Enforcement for overstaying a tourist visa issued
to Aquino on July 7, 2001. Following the arrest, Aragoncillo appeared at
ICE offices in New York and identified himself to agents as an FBI
employee and friend of Aquino. He subsequently called an ICE agent to
inquire on the status of the investigation, prompting an ICE agent to
notify the FBI about Aragoncillo's inquiries.
The FBI, among other things, then commenced an audit of Aragoncillo's use
of the FBI database, revealing that he had conducted extensive
unauthorized searches concerning the Philippines. The audit revealed that
between about May 1 and Aug. 15, 2005, Aragoncillo either printed or
downloaded 101 classified documents concerning the Philippines, of which
37 were classified at the "Secret" level.
Additional records obtained from Yahoo! and Hotmail revealed that as early
as January 2005 and continuing into this past September, Aragoncillo used
his Yahoo! and Hotmail accounts to transmit classified documents and
information to individuals in the Philippines, including current and
former public officials.
Aquino served as a the Deputy Director of the Philippines National Police
- Intelligence Group, and a Senior Superintendent of the now-disbanded
Philippines Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force.
The defendants are both charged with one count of conspiracy, which
carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a fine of $250,000,
and one count of acting as an unregistered agent subject to the direction
of a foreign official, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in
prison and a fine of $250,000. Aragoncillo is also charged with one count
of the unauthorized use of a government computer to obtain and transmit
classified information to persons not entitled to receive that
information, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years imprisonment and
a $250,000 fine.
Jim Kouri, CPP is currently fifth vice-president of the National
Association of Chiefs of Police. He's former chief at a New York City
housing project in Washington Heights nicknamed "Crack City" by reporters
covering the drug war in the 1980s. In addition, he served as director of
public safety at a New Jersey university and director of security for
several major organizations. He's also served on the National Drug Task
Force and trained police and security officers throughout the country.
He writes for many police and security magazines including Chief of
Police, Police Times, The Narc Officer and others, and he's a columnist
for TheConservativeVoice.Com, AmericanDaily.Com, MensNewsDaily.Com,
MichNews.Com, and he's syndicated by AXcessNews.Com. He's appeared as
on-air commentator for over 100 TV and radio news and talk shows including
Oprah, McLaughlin Report, CNN Headline News, MTV, Fox News, etc. His book
Assume The Position is available at Amazon.Com, Booksamillion.com, and can
be ordered at local bookstores. If you wish to sign up for his
intelligence reports, write to JimKouriReports@aol.com. Kouri's own
website is located at
http://jimkouri.us
The opinions expressed in
this column represent those of the author and do not necessarily reflect
the opinions, views, or philosophy of TheRealityCheck.org, Inc.
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