FBI Linguist Guilty of Leaking Classified Documents

[The Straight Story]

FBI Linguist Guilty of Leaking Classified Documents


An Israeli-American lawyer who worked as an FBI linguist pleaded guilty Thursday to providing an unidentified blogger with classified documents derived from U.S. communications intelligence.

Shamai Kedem Leibowitz, 39, of Silver Spring, Maryland, pleaded to one felony count of disclosing to an unauthorized party five documents that were classified “secret” that he obtained through his work with the FBI.

Leibowitz leaked the documents to the unnamed blogger in April 2009. The blogger — identified as “Recipient A” in court filings — then wrote a post based on the classified documents.

“As a trusted member of the FBI ranks, Leibowitz abused the trust of the FBI and the American public by using his access to classified information for his own purposes,” said the FBI special agent in charge, Richard A. McFeely, in a press release.

The government does not allege that Leibowitz was paid for the documents. He pleaded guilty to violating a law prohibiting the unauthorized disclosure of classified information about “communication intelligence activities” — i.e., electronic spying.
...

Threat Level thinks it’s more likely Leibowitz was behind the leaked news that Representative Jane Harman had allegedly been caught on an NSA wiretap engaging in a quid-pro-quo conversation with an Israeli agent. That information was published in April by Jeff Stein, a writer for Congressional Quarterly, on his SpyTalk blog, which was mirrored at CQ Homeland Security. Stein told Threat Level he never comments on sources.

http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2009/12/fbi-linguist/

[snagglepuss]

1. .

[mmonk]

2. Bookmarking. Thanks.

[optimator]

3. he should work at the pentagon

since Obama doesn't give a shit about leaks there.

[SpiralHawk]

4. The Case of the Leaking Linguist

This will not lick the infamous Case of the Cunning Linguist

[hootinholler]

7. That didn't take long

GROAN

-Hoot

[SpiralHawk]

9. Go on, hooty, you luvs it

not foolin the Olde Spiralster

[hootinholler]

11. Happy Solstice, my friend.

I often leak when being a cunning linguist.

-Hoot

[Bluebear]

5. Thank God He Wasn't Gay!

Gay Linguists Get The Boot
Military Dismisses 6 Gay Arabic Linguists Amid Shortage Of Translators
Nine Army linguists, including six trained to speak Arabic, have been dismissed from the military because they are gay.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/11/14/attack/main529418.shtml

[tomm2thumbs]

8. yup, the first think I thought - let's attack for reasons OTHER than serving your country

because it makes more sense than picking out the ones that are undermining your country.

[Pavulon]

6. I thought you meant whats her name..

who was all the rage. Seems like this one may be going to jail.

[RaleighNCDUer]

10. Alternate title - 'Whistleblower To Go To Prison'.

At least, that's what I got from it.