Maryland Man Indicted on Unlawful Transmission and Retention of Classified National Defense Information Charges

A federal grand jury has indicted a Laurel, Maryland man on five counts of unlawfully transmitting and one count of unlawfully retaining classified national defense information, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 793(e). "Illegally disclosing classified defense information is a grave crime against America that puts both our national security and the lives of our military heroes at risk," said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. "This Department of Justice will remain ever-vigilant in protecting the integrity of America's classified intelligence." “Perez-Lugones allegedly printed and removed classified documents from his workplace on multiple occasions, took them home, and later passed them to a reporter who used the information in news articles,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “Protecting our country’s secrets is essential to the safety of our most sensitive intelligence, military, and law enforcement operations. The FBI will continue to aggressively investigate everyone who seeks to undermine our national security and hold them accountable.” “The indictment charges that Perez-Lugones willfully transmitted national defense information to a news reporter, placing our national security at risk,” said U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes for the District of Maryland. “Protecting sensitive national security information is a core responsibility of the Department of Justice, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners will pursue accountability when that trust is violated. Putting it simply, risking our national security cannot and will not be tolerated.” Aurelio Luis Perez-Lugones, 61, a long-time holder of a Top-Secret security clearance who has worked as a government contractor for the past two decades, is charged with the unauthorized transmission and retention of national defense information. Since at least 2002, Perez-Lugones has worked as a system engineer and information technology specialist for a government contractor. In that role, Perez-Lugones worked on contracts for the U.S. Intelligence Community. Perez-Lugones was previously charged by criminal complaint on January 9, 2026, with the unlawful retention of national defense information. Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg, U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes for the District of Maryland, and Assistant Director in Charge Darren B. Cox of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)’s Washington Field Office announced the indictment. According to the indictment, between October 2025 and January 2026, Perez-Lugones repeatedly accessed classified reports, printed or copied the information in these classified reports, and then removed this classified information from the sensitive compartmented information facility (SCIF) where he worked. Thereafter, Perez-Lugones transmitted the classified national defense information to a reporter (referred to as “Reporter 1” in the indictment), who was not authorized to receive it. In turn, Reporter 1 co-authored and contributed to at least five articles that contained classified information Perez-Lugones provided, resulting in the dissemination of the information to the public. Perez-Lugones was arrested on Jan. 8, 2026. During the execution of a court-authorized search warrant for his mobile phone, investigators reviewed messages between Perez-Lugones and Reporter 1 discussing the classified information that Perez-Lugones had provided. These messages also showed Perez-Lugones transmitting to Reporter 1 two documents that contained classified national defense information. After sending one such document, Perez-Lugones sent a message stating, “I’m going quiet for a bit . . . just to see if anyone starts asking questions.” Additionally, during the execution of a court-authorized search warrant for Perez-Lugones’s vehicle, investigators recovered a hard-copy document classified at the SECRET level. If convicted, Perez-Lugones faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison for each count of retention and transmission of national defense information. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties.