Judge with Gavel (Shutterstock)
Government contractor Aurelio Perez-Lugones, the person accused of leaking classified information to a Washington Post reporter, has been released by the judge.
Politico reported on Monday afternoon that the judge was willing to put Perez-Lugones on home detention while he awaits charges.
U.S. District Judge Michael Maddox commented that the alleged leaks were “extremely grave,” but that he isn't a danger to society. He's simply barred from using an internet-connected device.
Perez-Lugones was accused of sharing information on military movements related to Venezuela. Indicted in January by the Justice Department, the 61-year-old Navy veteran was accused of repeatedly accessing classified reports, printing or otherwise copying the information in these classified reports and removing the printouts and information from the sensitive compartmented information facility (SCIF) where he worked, the indictment said.
“The government has no way of knowing what he has retained and what he is able to provide to others,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Patricia McLane said during a hearing. “The person he was communicating with is still employed and has a willingness to accept classified and national defense information. … The receptacle of additional national defense information is still available to the defendant.”
“This was not old information. This was current information regarding military movement in the Caribbean, in the Gulf and specifically with Venezuela,” the prosecutor said, according to Politico. “We have a man who has thrown everything away in an attempt to get back at the administration.”
Perez-Lugones's attorney, Courtney Francik, argued that there was no evidence suggesting her client has “a historical Rolodex of classified information in his head.”
“Mr. Perez-Lugones has lost his job. He’s lost his clearance. He doesn’t have any access to any classified system,” she said.
Still, the judge ruled he must remain disconnected from internet devices.