This Week’s Crime…

THE ACCUSED:

John M. Sember is a former commissioned officer who worked at the National Air and Space Intelligence Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio.

THE CRIME:

Sember is charged with theft of government property. He worked as the lead electrical engineer and did the circuitry and wiring on a top secret project for a defense contractor.

The complaint alleges that he destroyed or stole sensitive information from government computers after being removed from a project earlier this year. After executing a search warrant, authorities seized more than 40 items from Sember’s home.

According to the affidavit, Sember tried to gain access to the facility by swiping his badge six times after his badge was deactivated in March of this year. He allegedly contacted a senior airman to let him in, who stated “he grabbed some circuit board off a desk and searched a couple things on a computer.”

THE DAMAGE:

The affidavit states if the information is erased permanently, it could cost taxpayers 1,000 to 2,000 hours of labor and research.

THE PUNISHMENT:

Sember’s trial date is tentatively scheduled for Dec. 15.

Source: Military.com