[ISN] Espionage Case Breaches the White House

[InfoSec News]

Forwarded from: William Knowles <wk at c4i.org>

http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/story?id=1187030&page=1

By BRIAN ROSS and RICHARD ESPOSITO
ABCNews
Oct. 5, 2005 

Both the FBI and CIA are calling it the first case of espionage in the
White House in modern history.

Officials tell ABC News the alleged spy worked undetected at the White
House for almost three years. Leandro Aragoncillo, 46, was a U.S.  
Marine most recently assigned to the staff of Vice President Dick
Cheney.

"I don't know of a case where the vetting broke down before and 
resulted in a spy being in the White House," said Richard Clarke, a 
former White House advisor who is now an ABC News consultant. 

Federal investigators say Aragoncillo, a naturalized citizen from the 
Philippines, used his top secret clearance to steal classified 
intelligence documents from White House computers. 

In 2000, Aragoncillo worked on the staff of then-Vice President Al 
Gore. When interviewed by Philippine television, he remarked how 
valued Philippine employees were at the White House. 

"I think what they like most is our integrity and loyalty," 
Aragoncillo said. 


Classified Material Transferred by E-Mail

Officials say the classified material, which Aragoncillo stole from 
the vice president's office, included damaging dossiers on the 
president of the Philippines. He then passed those on to opposition 
politicians planning a coup in the Pacific nation. 

"Even though it's not for the Russians or some other government, the 
fact that it occurred at the White House is a matter of great 
concern," said John Martin, who was the government's lead espionage 
prosecutor for 26 years. 

Last year, after leaving the Marines, Aragoncillo was caught by the 
FBI while he worked for the Bureau at an intelligence center at Fort 
Monmouth, N.J. 

According to a criminal complaint, Aragoncillo was arrested last month 
and accused of downloading more than 100 classified documents from FBI 
computers. 

"The information was transferred mostly by e-mails," said U.S. 
Attorney Christopher J. Christie at the time of Aragoncillo's arrest. 

Since that arrest, officials say Aragoncillo has started to cooperate. 
He has admitted to spying while working on the staff of Vice President 
Cheney's office. 


 
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