REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. (WHNT) — A Department of Defense employee is accused of removing classified and secret documents she was not authorized to take, federal court documents say.
According to documents obtained by News 19, Ewa Maia Ciszak is charged with removing and retaining classified documents/materials from her workplace office.
Per Title 18, United States Code, Section 1924(a), “Whoever, being an officer, employee, contractor, or consultant of the United States, and, by virtue of his office, employment, position, or contract, becomes possessed of documents or materials containing classified information of the United States, knowingly removes such documents or materials without authority and with the intent to retain such documents or materials at an unauthorized location shall be fined under this title or imprisoned for not more than five years, or both.”
Court records show that Ciszak has been working for the Department of Defense at the Missile Defense Agency since January 2023.
The federal court documents stated that on June 16, Judge Herman N. Johnson, Jr. signed a search warrant authorizing the FBI to search Ciszak’s house, person, devices and her vehicle. The documents said the warrant was executed on June 18.
“Immediately prior to execution of the warrant, Agents again observed Ciszak remove material bearing classification markings from MDA in a backpack and travel to her residence,” documents said.
Records show that Agents also found more MDA materials bearing classification markings throughout other locations inside Ciszak’s house.
Also in a search of her vehicle and house, Agents found documents with markings indicating the information inside them was “secret.”
In an interview with Ciszak, court documents say she acknowledged, “in sum, substance, and in part, that she had received training in the proper handling of classified material.” The interview also revealed that she knew she was bringing home these “classified” and “secret” documents, knowing she wasn’t allowed to do so.
“Ciszak further claimed that before bringing documents home with her, she would remove ‘important’ information from them, ‘like numbers,’ such that she documents would not contain classified information despite the classification markings on the documents, but she acknowledged that there ‘probably’ had been important information and classified material on the documents she brought home to her residence,” federal documents say.
Documents show Ciszak was arrested on June 20.
The post Missile Defense Agency employee faces federal charge for unauthorized removal of classified documents appeared first on WHNT.
