Philippines Spies Hacking FBI Systems
Videos
July 18, 2007 Update
Former Marine and FBI Analyst Sentenced to 10 Years
For Transferring
Classified Information to Assist in Overthrow of Philippine Government
In Short: Searched FBI computers for information on Philippines, which was
outside his work duties. Downloaded documents from FBI computers onto
disk, put disk in bag and
took home. Emailed classified documents to contacts in Philippines.
Manila TV
Video & Links: Cheney & FBI Top Secrets Stolen
5/5/06
Indictment : USA v. Leandro
Aragoncillo
Christopher J. Christie
United States Attorney
District of New Jersey
May
4 , 2006
Former Marine and FBI Analyst Pleads Guilty to Espionage; Admits
Transferring Classified Information to Assist in Overthrow of Philippines
Government
NEWARK, N.J. – A former Marine who worked at
times under two administrations in the Office of the Vice President of the
United States pleaded guilty today to espionage and other charges, admitting
that he took and transferred classified information, including national defense
documents, to senior political and government officials of the Republic of the
Philippines in an attempt to destabilize and overthrow that country’s
government, U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Christie announced.
Leandro
Aragoncillo, 47, admitted that he regularly transferred to his Philippine
contacts national security documents classified as Secret, and that the
information could be used to the injury of the United States or to the
advantage of a foreign nation. He also admitted traveling to the Philippines in
January 2001 to meet his co-conspirators, including during a visit to the
Malacanang Palace, the official residence of the president of the
Philippines.
Aragoncillo also admitted that some of the
classified information he removed from of the Office of the Vice President
(OVP) between approximately October 2000 and February 2002 included information
marked Top Secret that related to terrorist threats to United States government
interests in the Republic of the Philippines (ROP).
Aragoncillo, a naturalized U.S. citizen born in the
Philippines and most recently of Woodbury, N.J., was an FBI intelligence
analyst at Fort Monmouth, N.J.
at the time of his arrest on Sept. 10, 2005. He admitted today that his
espionage activity continued during his time as an FBI analyst.
“Aragoncillo took the most solemn of oaths as
a U.S. Marine and FBI analyst to protect his country and its security,” said
Christie. “His betrayal is profound and a disservice to his country and
all the men and women in military and security positions around the globe who
take the oath and serve with honor and integrity.”
Also arrested last September was Michael Ray Aquino, a
former Philippines National Police official, who was among those who
Aragoncillo is alleged to have passed classified information. Aragoncillo specifically
identified Aquino today as a co-conspirator in the transfer of classified
documents and information.
Aquino, who remains in federal custody, was
indicted on Oct. 6, 2005 and charged with conspiring in the passing of
classified information to current and former officials in the Philippines.
Aquino awaits trial. No date has been scheduled for
Aquino’s trial due to extensive pretrial discovery.
Aragoncillo pleaded guilty to four counts of an
Indictment returned this morning by a federal grand jury. Count One charged
him with Conspiracy to Transmit National Defense Information; Count Two charged
him with Transmission of National Defense Information. The maximum penalty for
both of those crimes is death under certain circumstances – including the
transfer of secrets that result in the death of an intelligence source –
that are not present in the case of Aragoncillo. Consequently, the maximum
statutory penalty on those counts for Aragoncillo is any term of years up to
life in prison.
Count Three charges Aragoncillo with Unlawful
Retention of National Defense Information, and Count Four charges him with
Unlawful Use of a Government Computer, both of which carry a maximum penalty of
10 years in prison.
In the Indictment and during his guilty plea before
U.S. District Judge William H. Walls, Aragoncillo’s co-conspirators were
identified as Executive Branch Official #1, a senior member of the executive
branch of the ROP from June 1998 through January 2001; Senator #1, who has served in
the Philippine Senate since June 2001 and was formerly the head of the
Philippines National Police; Representative #1, who served in the
Philippines House of Representatives between about 1998 and 2001 and again in
2004; Representative #2, who served in the Philippines House of Representatives
between 1992 and 2001, and again in 2004; Mayor #1, who is a mayor of one of
the municipalities located near Metro Manila; and Aquino.
Aragoncillo admitted his contacts began on July 27,
2000, when a delegation of public officials from the Philippines –
including Executive Branch Official #1 and Representative #1 – met with
the President of the United States at the White House. Aragoncillo was then a
staff assistant to the Vice President’s Military Advisors and possessed a
Top Secret security clearance.
Aragoncillo said that Representative #1 contacted
him in or about October 2000, and requested information about the U.S.
government’s views about the Philippines. Aragoncillo stated that
Representative #1 appealed to his sense of loyalty to the Philippines and its
people in requesting the information. As a result of Representative #1's
appeals, Aragoncillo agreed to begin supplying Representative #1 with national
security-classified documents and information.
From that time forward, and continuing through his
service with the OVP and the FBI, Aragoncillo admitted to gathering and
providing classified documents and information to Executive Official #1, Senator #1, and the other
co-conspirators.
Aragoncillo also admitted that in telephone, e-mail
and text message exchanges with Senator #1, he advised
that the information he was transferring would be useful in assisting Senator #1 and his
associates in their attempts to destabilize and overthrow the president and government
of the Philippines. In one telephone conversation, for example, Aragoncillo
admitted that he told Senator
#1 that the documents were like a “blueprint” on how to
engineer a coup. In response, Aragoncillo said that Senator #1 told him that
the document was “a good reference” and that Senator #1 “would
print it because we are preparing something like this.”
Among other specific admissions by Aragoncillo:
• That on Jan. 12, 2001, he met Executive
Branch Official #1 at the Malacanang Palace.
• That on June 1, 2001, he gathered
classified “Situation Reports” from the OVP, and transmitted them
to Representative #1.
• That on April 17, 2001, and Jan. 29 and
Feb. 6, 2002, he gathered documents classified “Top Secret” and
“Secret,” respectively, containing national defense information
relating to terrorist threats to U.S. government interests in the ROP and
exercises involving the U.S. military in the Philippines.
• That he sought positions with the FBI, the
Central Intelligence Agency, and the National Security Agency,
to gain access to classified documents and information that would be useful to
his co-conspirators.
• That beginning in September 2004, he began
gathering classified documents from FBI
computers located at Fort Monmouth relating to the
ROP, and thereafter he transmitted classified documents and information to his
co-conspirators until his arrest on September 10, 2005.
• That from approximately January to April
2005, he transmitted by e-mail approximately 30 documents classified
“Secret” and “Confidential” to Senator #1 and Aquino,
including documents containing national defense information.
• That on Feb. 28 and Aug. 4, 2005, and on
other occasions, he transmitted documents to his contacts containing classified
information about confidential intelligence sources of the U.S. government.
• That approximately two weeks before his
arrest, on Aug. 25, 2005, he sought to return to his position as a Staff
Assistant in the OVP.
Christie credited Special Agents of the FBI, under
the direction of Special
Agent in Charge Leslie Wiser, Jr., in Newark, for their investigation of the espionage case.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S.
Attorneys Karl H. Buch and Michael Buchanan, of the U.S. Attorney’s
Office Criminal Division, and Clifford I. Rones, Senior Trial Attorney, U.S.
Department of Justice in Washington.
25/4/06
Philippine trio named in spy
plot
Ex-president, 2 others accused of being
conspirators at Newark hearing
4Law
- The former Philippines
president and two other prominent officials were identified yesterday as
alleged conspirators in a plot to get U.S. intelligence from a suspected spy
who worked at the FBI and the White House.
Ousted Philippines President Joseph Estrada and Sen. Panfilio Lacson have
previously acknowledged contact with defendants in the case. But during a
hearing in Newark, a government prosecutor, Assistant U.S. Attorney Karl Buch,
for the first time publicly named them and former Philippines Speaker Arnulfo
Fuentebella as alleged participants in the plot.
7/10/05
Indictment : USA v. Michael Ray
Aquino
Christopher J. Christie
United States Attorney
District of New Jersey
October 6 , 2005
Former Philippines National Police Official Indicted
Former Philippines
National Police official Michael Ray Aquino was indicted today for
conspiring with a former FBI intelligence analyst in the passing of classified
information to current and former officials in the Philippines, U.S. Attorney
Christopher J. Christie announced.
The Indictment charges Michael Ray Aquino, 39, with
one count of conspiracy, which carries a maximum prison sentence of five years,
and one count of acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign official, which
carries a maximum sentence of 10 years.
Aquino, a Filipino national in the United States on
an expired visa, was arrested on a criminal complaint at his residence in
Queens, N.Y. on Sept. 10. Aquino remains in federal custody at the Passaic
County Jail. Also arrested that day was Leandro Aragoncillo, 46, of Woodbury in
Gloucester County, New Jersey, an FBI analyst at Fort Monmouth Information
Technology Center (FMITC) in Monmouth County since July 2004. Aragoncillo is
being held at the Hudson County Jail.
Aquino will not be appearing in court today. An
arraignment on the Indictment will likely take place sometime in the next two
weeks before a U.S. District Judge.
The Indictment, which closely mirrors the
accusations contained in the criminal complaint, accuses Aquino of conspiring
to share information received from an FBI intelligence analyst with current and
former high-ranking officials of the Philippines. Neither the complaint nor
today's Indictment specifically identify those officials.
The FBI analyst worked at the FMITC and used an FBI
database to search, download and print more than 150 classified documents and
other sensitive information concerning the Philippines, according to the
Indictment. The analyst, identified in the Indictment only by his initials,
transmitted the information to Aquino and other top former and current
officials in the Philippines.
The classifified materials were allegedly
transmitted by the FBI analyst to Aquino and others via his personal,
non-government email accounts using computers at FMITC and his home. The FBI
analyst, Aquino, the three unidentified Filipino public officials and others
communicated with one another using e-mail, telephone and text messages,
according to the Indictment.
Aquino served as the Deputy Director of the
Philippines National Police - Intelligence Group, and a Senior Superintendent
of the now-disbanded Philippines Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force.
Aquino was arrested in New York by Special Agents
of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for overstaying a tourist visa
issued to Aquino on July 7, 2001. Following the arrest, the now-former FBI
analyst appeared at ICE offices in New York and identified himself to agents as
an FBI employee and friend of Aquino, according to the criminal complaint. He
subsequently called an ICE agent to inquire on the status of the investigation,
prompting an ICE agent to notify the FBI about the FBI analyst's inquiries.
The FBI, among other things, then commenced an
audit of the analyst's use of the FBI database, revealing that he had conducted
extensive unauthorized searches concerning the Philippines and either printed
or downloaded classified documents.
Additional records obtained from Yahoo! and Hotmail
revealed that as early as January 2005 and continuing into this September, the
analyst used his Yahoo! and Hotmail accounts to transmit classified documents
and information to individuals in the Philippines, including the current and
former public officials in the Philippines referenced above.
Despite indictment, the defendant is presumed
innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Christie credited Special Agents of the FBI, under
the direction of Special
Agent in Charge Leslie Wiser, Jr., in Newark, with the investigation
leading to the indictment.
The case is being prosecuted by Stuart Rabner,
Chief of the U.S. Attorney's Office Criminal Division in Newark, and Assistant
U.S. Attorney Karl H. Buch.
FBI Affidavit : USA v. Leandro
Aragoncillo & Michael Ray Aquino
Christopher J. Christie
United States Attorney
District of New Jersey
September 12 , 2005
FBI Intelligence Analyst Arrested, Accused of Passing Classified
Information; Former Philippines National Police Official Also Charged
An FBI intelligence analyst at Fort Monmouth and a former
official with the Philippines National Police
were arrested Saturday morning, charged in a federal criminal complaint with
acting as unregistered agents of a foreign official and passing classified
information to that official and others in the Republic of the Philippines,
U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Christie and FBI Special Agent in Charge Leslie
Wiser, Jr. announced.
Leandro Aragoncillo, 46, a former U.S. Marine, was
arrested by Special Agents of the FBI at his home in Woodbury, Gloucester
County, New Jersey. Michael Ray Aquino, 39, a Filipino national in the United
States on an expired visa, was arrested at his residence in Queens, N.Y.
Both defendants made initial appearances at
approximately 11 a.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge Patty Shwartz. Both were
ordered detained pending trial.
"The arrests of Leandro Aragoncillo and
Michael Ray Aquino affirm the FBI's commitment to apprehending those who would
seek to reveal classified information to foreign nationals," Wiser said.
"Crimes like these strike at the heart of our
national security," said Christie. "These defendants will face the
full weight of federal prosecution."
The criminal complaint alleges that Aragoncillo, an
FBI intelligence analyst since July 2004 at the Fort Monmouth Information
Technology Center, used an FBI database to search, download and print
classified documents concerning the Philippines.
Using personal Yahoo! and Hotmail accounts,
Aragoncillo allegedly sent email messages, often with classified documents attached,
to individuals in the Philippines, including current and former public
officials of the Philippines. Those individuals are identified in the criminal
complaint as Public Official #1, a former high-level public official; Public
Official #2, a current high-level public official; and Public Official #3, a
second current high-level public official.
The FBI database accessed by Aragoncillo contained,
among other things, classified information and documents from the FBI, and
other federal departments. Classified information is material that has been
determined to require protection against unauthorized disclosure for reasons of
national security and foreign relations. The three levels of classification are
"Top Secret," "Secret" and "Confidential."
The FBI began a field investigation of Aragoncillo
in late July 2005. On March 7, 2005, Aquino was arrested in New York by Special
Agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for overstaying a tourist
visa issued to Aquino on July 7, 2001. Following the arrest, Aragoncillo
appeared at ICE offices in New York and identified himself to agents as an FBI
employee and friend of Aquino. He subsequently called an ICE agent to inquire
on the status of the investigation, prompting an ICE agent to notify the FBI about
Aragoncillo's inquiries.
The FBI, among other things, then commenced an
audit of Aragoncillo's use of the FBI database, revealing that he had conducted
extensive unauthorized searches concerning the Philippines. The audit revealed
that from between about May 1 and Aug. 15, 2005, Aragoncillo either printed or
downloaded 101 classified documents concerning the Philippines, of which 37
were classified at the "Secret" level.
Additional records obtained from Yahoo! and Hotmail
revealed that as early as January 2005 and continuing into this September,
Aragoncillo used his Yahoo! and Hotmail accounts to transmit classified
documents and information to individuals in the Philippines, including the
current and former public officials in the Philippines specifically referenced
above.
Aquino served as a the Deputy Director of the
Philippines National Police - Intelligence Group, and a Senior Superintendent
of the now-disbanded Philippines Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force.
The defendants are both charged with one count of
conspiracy, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a fine
of $250,000, and one count of acting as an unregistered agent subject to the
direction of a foreign official, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in
prison and a fine of $250,000. Aragoncillo is also charged with one count of
the unauthorized use of a government computer to obtain and transmit classified
information to persons not entitled to receive that information, which carries
a maximum sentence of 10 years' imprisonment and a $250,000 fine.
Despite being charged in a criminal complaint, the
defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a
reasonable doubt.
Christie credited Special Agents of the FBI, under
the direction of Special Agent in Charge Leslie Wiser, Jr., in Newark, with the
investigation leading to the arrests of the defendants.
The case is being prosecuted by Stuart Rabner,
Chief of the U.S. Attorney's Office Criminal Division in Newark, and Assistant
U.S. Attorneys Karl H. Buch, Kevin O'Dowd and Erez Liebermann, all of the
Criminal Division.
VP
'SPY' ON AIR FORCE 1
October 7, 2005 -- WASHINGTON — A suspected White House
spy helped plan activities for two vice presidents — and even got to ride
on Air Force One, it was disclosed yesterday. New details about Leandro
Aragoncillo's access to the nation's secrets emerged as his alleged
co-conspirator was indicted on charges of passing stolen documents to cohorts
in the Philippines, who were believed to be trying to overthrow the country's
president, Gloria Arroyo. Aragoncillo, 46, reportedly admitted stealing
classified documents from a White House computer while he was in the Marines.
He earlier had been charged with stealing secrets from an FBI computer while
working as an analyst at Fort Monmouth, N.J. after leaving the military.
Aragoncillo, a naturalized citizen from the Philippines who spent 21 years in
the Marines, worked in the White House from 1999 to 2001, serving Vice
President Al Gore and then Vice President Dick Cheney as a staff
assistant."He worked with advisers in planning vice-presidential meetings
and trips, and he would conduct security briefings and debriefings," a
Marine spokeswoman, Maj. Gabrielle Chapin, said.Aragoncillo was only a gunnery
sergeant, but had top security clearance, passing periodic lie-detector tests.
The clearance enabled him to access White House computers — and ride on
the president's plane. He was put in charge of liaison with Philippine
government officials during the July 2000 U.S. visit of former President Joseph
Estrada. Estrada offered small amounts of money and appealed to Aragoncillo's
ethnic loyalty to recruit the alleged spy, who was $500,000 in debt, ABC News
reported. Yesterday, his alleged accomplice, a former Filipino police official
named Michael Ray Aquino, was indicted in Newark on charges of transferring
secrets stolen by Aragoncillo from the FBI computer. His lawyer, Mark Berman
said his client, "had no reason to know that the information the
government laid out in the indictment was classified." "Aragoncillo
is believed to be cooperating with the feds and negotiating a plea bargain.
Authorities are interviewing 35 present and former White House employees and
believe he also downloaded files involving a country other than the Philippines,
ABC said. Aragoncillo's Deptford, N.J., neighbors are stunned by the
allegations. "He's a nice person," said Jennifer Gillen, 34. "I
just don't know what to believe." (New York Post)
Ex-Marine Allegedly Sent Files to Philippine
Opposition - Sen. Panfilo "Ping" Lacson, who
unsuccessfully challenged Arroyo in the presidential election last year, said in
an interview that he had received e-mails from Aquino. Lacson, a retired
national police chief, was the head of a special organized crime task force,
and Aquino was a senior aide on that force.Lacson said some of the e-mails
Aquino sent were widely distributed to current and former members of the
Philippine national police force while others were personal communications. He
added that he did not consider the information to be sensitive intelligence,
calling it nothing unusual."This was classified because it would embarrass
the United States. There are opinions provided by certain officials of the
United States government," he explained.Although he said he had no direct
knowledge of the U.S. investigation, Lacson said he expected he would be named
in the United States as one of the three Philippine officials to be sent
material by Aragoncillo and Aquino.( Washington Post)
