Palm Beach County Resident Sentenced for Violations of the Espionage Act and Computer Fraud and Abuse Act for Accessing and Removing Classified Information from Military Computers

Christopher R. Glenn, 34, a South Florida Resident, was sentenced on July 31, 2015, to 120 months of imprisonment, to be followed by three years of supervised release, by United States District Judge Kenneth Marra following his guilty plea for violations of Title 18, United States Code, Section 793(e), willful retention of classified national defense information under the Espionage Act, Section 1030(a)(1), computer intrusion under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, while employed as a computer systems administrator at a U.S. Military installation in Honduras; and Sections 371 and 1425(a), conspiracy to commit naturalization fraud.

Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, John P. Carlin, Assistant Attorney General for National Security, George Piro, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office, Kelly R. Jackson, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), and members of the South Florida Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF), made the announcement.

According to court records, while working as a computer systems administrator at Soto Cano Air Base in Honduras, Glenn accessed a classified Department of Defense network without authorization and removed classified national defense information from the Department of Defense and U.S. Southern Command's (SOUTHCOM's) Joint Task Force - Bravo, including intelligence reports and military plans. Glenn proceeded to encrypt the files and place them on an Internet-accessible network storage device located in his residence in Honduras.

Glenn also conspired with his wife, Khadraa A. Glenn, 28, to commit naturalization fraud for her benefit by fabricating fraudulent documents and submitting false statements and the documents to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).  Khadraa A. Glenn previously pled guilty to naturalization fraud conspiracy and was sentenced on October 7, 2014.

“The defendant exploited and violated the special trust placed in him as a computer network system administrator working at a United States military base, in order to penetrate the computer system and steal classified materials.  We will continue to investigate and prosecute insider threats to national security and we will bring those violators to justice,” stated U.S. Attorney Ferrer.       

“Christopher Glenn exploited his position as a cleared military contractor and systems administrator to steal classified U.S. military secrets,” said Assistant Attorney General Carlin.  “In doing so, he violated the unique trust placed in him by the Department of Defense.  Insider threats by trusted employees who exploit computer access are a significant danger to U.S. national security and this sentencing shows it will not be tolerated.”

"A person who violated the Espionage Act and had significant ties to South Florida, is Christopher Glenn," said Special Agent in Charge Piro.  "A defense contractor whose routine would take him through Broward, Dade and Palm Beach counties, Glenn hacked a classified computer network and gained access to national defense information.  More than ever, the Glenns of this world are targeting our nation's most valuable secrets.  While it doesn't often make the headlines, the FBI works hard to keep our secrets from falling into the wrong hands."

Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of the FBI, U.S. Army’s 470^th Military Intelligence Brigade, U.S. Army’s Criminal Investigations Division, the U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), USCIS, IRS-CI, Department of Homeland Security and the JTTF.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ricardo Del Toro and Trial Attorney Christian Ford of the Counterintelligence and Export Control Section of the Department of Justice’s National Security Division.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.