FBI Intelligence Analyst Caught Passing Secrets to Foreign Officials
Jim Kouri, CPP
October 04, 2005
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.
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.
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