A US sailor with access to national defense information has been charged with giving sensitive files to a Russian national, according to court documents seen by US media
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 18th July, 2020) A US sailor with access to national defense information has been charged with giving sensitive files to a Russian national, according to court documents seen by US media.
Chief Petty Officer Charles Briggs used a government computer to get the classified information on or around January 9, 2019 while stationed at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska, The Pilot newspaper reported.
There are grounds to believe that this data could have been used to "injure the United States or benefit a foreign national," according to the court filings. The redacted document did not specify how he knew the alleged Russian national.
Briggs is also charged with obstructing justice for failing to report his connections to the Russian and also an Italian national and his trip to Serbia. Separately, he faces two charges related to storing and trying to view child pornography.
The officer, who works in information and technology at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, has been reportedly placed in pretrial custody and is due to appear in general court martial for arraignment on Wednesday.
