A chilling crime has shaken the nation’s nuclear secrets. Former Los Alamos workers Pedro Leonardo Mascheroni and Marjorie Roxby Mascheroni have been accused of stealing classified nuclear information to injure the United States and secure an advantage for Venezuela.
The 22-count indictment, revealed by Assistant Attorney General David Kris, alleges that the pair communicated classified nuclear data to an individual they believed to be a Venezuelan government official. If convicted, they face a potential sentence of life in prison.
Mascheroni, a Ph.D. physicist, worked at Los Alamos National Laboratory from 1979 to 1988 and held a security clearance that allowed him access to classified information, including ‘Restricted Data’. His wife, Roxby Mascheroni, worked at the lab between 1981 and 2010 and also held a security clearance.
The indictment charges the defendants with conspiring to communicate and communicating ‘Restricted Data’ to an individual with the intent to injure the United States and secure an advantage to a foreign nation. They are also accused of conspiring to participate in the development of an atomic weapon, as well as concealing and retaining U.S. records with the intent to convert them to their own use and gain.
Assistant Attorney General Kris warned that the conduct alleged in this indictment is serious and serves as a warning to anyone who would consider compromising the nation’s nuclear secrets for profit.
U.S. Attorney Kenneth J. Gonzales emphasized that the laws are designed to prevent ‘Restricted Data’ from falling into the wrong hands, and employees at Los Alamos National Laboratory who have access to sensitive information are charged with safeguarding that data. The lab has cooperated fully in the investigation.
The FBI arrested the pair on Wednesday morning, and they made their initial appearance in federal court in Albuquerque. Their case is a stark reminder of the importance of protecting national security and the consequences of compromising classified information.
Related Federal Cases
- Marquis Williams Sentenced to Mail Theft, Hartford CT, 2023 · Puerto Rico
- United Parcel Service, Wage Theft, New York NY, 2023 · New York
- David William Welbig, Aggravated Identity Theft, Albuquerque NM, 2014 · Washington
- Orlando Harvey Pleads Guilty to Statutory Rape, New Mexico, 2014 · New Mexico
- No Defendant, US Cuts Scientific Ties with China, Washington DC, 2024 · Washington
Key Facts
- State: New Mexico
- Category: Cybercrime|Public Corruption|White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
ðŸâ€Â’ Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
