Decoding Fraud

In times of conflict, a cryptologist’s services are highly coveted. People who are able to decode a variety of communications including digital signals or foreign languages are almost always in high demand by the military or intelligence agencies. However, because of the nature of discipline, unethical behavior can sometimes occur. A story published in the Sun-Sentinel follows a former cryptologist, who became caught up in her husband’s unethical behavior, which allegedly includes spying on the U.S. military.

The story states that the woman was married to a former government contractor who had access to top secret classified documents related to U.S. personnel serving in the Middle East. She submitted false records in order to gain U.S. citizenship. He is accused of stealing top secret classified documents from military email accounts, although authorities reportedly do not believe he released any information. When the cryptologist became aware of the investigation into her husband’s alleged activities, she quit her job with the U.S. Army approximately one year after she began work.

The 28-year-old wife pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit naturalization fraud and served five months in a Florida county jail. She was also sentenced to one year of supervised release and was ordered to cooperate if immigration officials decided to deport her. The 34-year-old husband is in a bit more trouble. He is charged with unauthorized possession and retention of national defense information, theft of government property and computer intrusion. He is currently in jail while awaiting trial.

Even though it doesn’t appear that this woman who falsified her records to obtain citizenship was a threat to national security, the story speculates that her unethical behavior was probably influenced by her husband. (It remains to be seen whether or not she will be deported.) This complicated case proves that when immigration fraud is committed, the government is committed to taking action against anyone who jeopardizes the safety of the United States and its citizens.

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