News How Did a Sham Marriage Enable Security Breaches at the FBI and CIA?

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A Lebanese national fraudulently obtained U.S. citizenship through a sham marriage and secured sensitive positions at both the FBI and CIA, where she accessed restricted files on Hezbollah. U.S. Attorney Stephen J. Murphy emphasized the serious threat posed by her actions, highlighting the risks of foreign nationals using fraud to infiltrate U.S. government positions. The discussion raises concerns about the effectiveness of security screenings, suggesting that the breach may stem from systemic issues within government hiring practices rather than a coordinated espionage effort. The conversation also touches on the broader implications of subcontracting security roles, where cost-cutting measures may lead to hiring unqualified individuals, potentially compromising national security. Overall, the situation underscores vulnerabilities in the vetting process for sensitive government positions.
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The woman in this article worked first for the FBI and then for the CIA.


A Lebanese national who fraudulently gained U.S. citizenship through a sham marriage managed to obtain sensitive jobs at both the FBI and CIA, and at one point used her security clearance to access restricted files about the terrorist group Hezbollah, according to court documents filed yesterday.

"It is hard to imagine a greater threat than the situation where a foreign national uses fraud to attain citizenship and then, based on that fraud, insinuates herself into a sensitive position in the U.S. government," said U.S. Attorney Stephen J. Murphy in a statement announcing a plea agreement with Prouty.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/13/AR2007111302033.html?hpid=sec-nation

There is additional information in this CBS link.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/11/13/terror/main3496101.shtml?source=mostpop_story

It is good that she was caught, but she was caught nearly six years after the actual security breach.
 
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So is this a highly trained terrorist super-spy planted in the CIA/FBI six years ago as part of a secret masterplan to bring down america.
Or did an illegal immigrant needing a job, fake some ID and the government pays better than working as a cleaner. It only claims she accessed file s- not actually passed them to anyone.

The real security breach seems to be letting someone from the FBI into the CIA!
 
If I were an illegal immigrant I would not apply to a job that involves security screenings that include having my entire family attend the US embassy for interviews.
But that's just me.
 
I imagine the spy angle is being talked up to cover some embarrased butts.

We once had to use a research aircraft. It was owned by the research funding body but operated by a commercial airline, this meany all the security stuff like flight-deck doors being locked had to apply - even though we were the only people on it. We had to jump through incredible security and background check hoops to get air-side passes to allow the door to be opened.

Then a couple of years later it is discovered the (UK) government is employing 5000 illegal immigrants to guard military airfields, including the one used by the PM / Royal Family.
This is because the security is contracteed out to the cheapest bidder who hires the cheapest workers and tries not to look too closely. But the excuse being used is that these workers must all have highly placed terrorist connections to have managed to evade the super efficent security services.
 
I haven't seen any spy angle being talked up.
 
mgb_phys said:
I imagine the spy angle is being talked up to cover some embarrased butts.

We once had to use a research aircraft. It was owned by the research funding body but operated by a commercial airline, this meany all the security stuff like flight-deck doors being locked had to apply - even though we were the only people on it. We had to jump through incredible security and background check hoops to get air-side passes to allow the door to be opened.

Then a couple of years later it is discovered the (UK) government is employing 5000 illegal immigrants to guard military airfields, including the one used by the PM / Royal Family.
This is because the security is contracteed out to the cheapest bidder who hires the cheapest workers and tries not to look too closely. But the excuse being used is that these workers must all have highly placed terrorist connections to have managed to evade the super efficent security services.

your post makes sense to me. govt agencies are subcontracting security companies and due to the "credibility" of process, the selected company is reputable... the govt agencies have no idea who is really doing the work. the subcontractor companies are there to make money, so it's natural that they find cheap labor. I'm sure they "try" to get qualified people, but who with a decent education is going to do security when there are better jobs to be had? (yeah, it's a generalization, but I'm just pointing out that the selection process is far from flawless). Some sexual favors can turn an eye (or 2) blind, and get a girl hired too.

It all sounds rotten, but you know this kinda stuff happens, so I don't want to hear it.
 
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