Mark Robert Unkenholz, National Defense Information Theft, Maryland 2022

Baltimore, Maryland – In a shocking case of national security breaches, Mark Robert Unkenholz, a 60-year-old NSA employee from Hanover, Maryland, has been indicted on 26 counts of willful transmission and retention of National Defense Information (NDI). The indictment was returned on March 29, 2022, and Unkenholz was arrested.

According to the indictment, Unkenholz held a TOP SECRET/SCI clearance and had access to classified information relating to national defense. Between February 14, 2018, and June 1, 2020, he allegedly transmitted classified information to a person who was not authorized to receive it. The information was classified at the SECRET and TOP SECRET/SCI levels and was transmitted using Unkenholz’s personal email address to the recipient’s private company email addresses.

The indictment alleges that Unkenholz’s personal email address and the company email addresses of the recipient were not authorized storage locations for classified NDI. Unkenholz allegedly retained the classified NDI within his personal email address.

Unkenholz is expected to make an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Baltimore today at 3:00 p.m. before Chief U.S. Magistrate Judge Beth P. Gesner. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison for each of the 13 counts of willful transmission of NDI and for each of the 13 counts of willful retention of NDI.

Unkenholz’s case has been assigned to Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kathleen O. Gavin and P. Michael Cunningham, who are prosecuting the case. United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI for its work in the investigation. The case is ongoing, and Unkenholz is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

The indictment is a serious reminder of the importance of safeguarding national security information. The government takes allegations of national security breaches very seriously, and those found guilty will face severe consequences.

For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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