US arrests man accused of stealing gov’t documents

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) – The U.S. on Wednesday charged a government contractor with allegedly stealing highly classified government documents that were later found in his home and car.

The FBI arrested Harold Thomas Martin III, 51, in late August, according to a Justice Department statement.

“A large percentage of the materials recovered from Martin’s residence and vehicle bore markings indicating that they were property of the United States and contained highly classified information of the United States,” the department said, adding that Martin also had government property “in excess of $1,000” in his possession.

Six classified documents contained sensitive intelligence information, the department said.

“These documents were produced through sensitive government sources, methods, and capabilities, which are critical to a wide variety of national security issues,” it added.

Martin had a top secret security clearance at the time of his arrest, according to court documents.

He admitted to taking the documents and digital files “that he knew were classified”, the filing said.

“Martin stated that he knew what he had done was wrong and that he should not have done it because he knew it was unauthorized,” the criminal complaint said.

He faces up to a year in jail for allegedly removing government documents without authorization, and up to 10 years for theft of government property.

The case echoes that of Edward Snowden who has evaded capture following his 2013 public disclosure of mass government surveillance programs that stunned Americans and the global public.

Snowden resides in Russia where he has received temporary asylum.