FEDERAL CHARGES: State Department Employee Caught Red-Handed in Bizarre Spy Scandal
A shocking new case has come to light in the nation’s capital as a high-ranking State Department employee has been arrested and charged with conspiracy to gather, transmit, or lose national defense information.
According to U.S. authorities, Michael Charles Schena, a 42-year-old employee of the U.S. Department of State, was arrested on criminal charges related to his alleged participation in a criminal conspiracy to gather, transmit, or lose national defense information.
Schena, who holds a top secret security clearance and has access to classified information up to the secret level within his DOS workspace, allegedly communicated with individuals he met online and provided them with sensitive information in exchange for payments.
On February 27, Schena allegedly used his cellphone to take images of multiple documents marked as ‘SECRET’ on the monitor of his classified computer, only to later leave work and return to his home in Alexandria, where the cellphone was seized.
The FBI Washington Field Office, with assistance from the FBI Richmond Field Office, the Department of Justice’s Office of Enforcement Operations, and the Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service Office of Counterintelligence, investigated the case.
Schena is charged with conspiracy to gather, transmit, or lose national defense information and faces a penalty of up to 10 years in prison, with a federal district court judge to determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Michael Charles Schena, a resident of Alexandria, Virginia, remains in custody pending further proceedings.
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Key Facts
- State: Virginia
- Category: Public Corruption|Cybercrime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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