Navy officer arrested for espionage UPDATED
HMC Ret sends us a link from ABC News about an unnamed Navy officer who was arrested and placed in pre-trial confinement eight months ago on charges that he spied for a foreign government;
The unidentified officer is currently assigned to Commander Patrol and Reconnaissance Group, a maritime patrol and reconnaissance unit in Norfolk that provides airborne anti-submarine warfare and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance using P-8A Poseidon aircraft, P-3 Orion aircraft and MQ-4 unmanned aircraft.
[…]
Charge sheets presented at an Article 32 hearing were heavily redacted and did not disclose the identity of the Naval officer nor where the alleged acts of espionage occurred.
According to the charge sheets, the officer has been charged with five counts of espionage and attempted espionage. The documents allege that on “divers occasions” the officer did “with intent or reason to believe it would be used to the advantage of a foreign nation, attempt to communicate SECRET information relating to the national defense to a representative of a foreign government.”
Bobo sends us a link to the story at Stars & Stripes which reports that he’s a Lieutenant Commander – an O-4.
The officer also is charged with three counts of attempted espionage, three counts of making false official statements, five counts of communicating defense information, prostitution-patronizing, adultery, and multiple violations of a lawful general order and failure to obey a lawful order.
The Navy and the officer corps in particular is having a rough year.
Update; Bobo sends us an update to the story, the officer is Lieutenant Commander Edward C. Lin, a Taiwanese-born naturalized citizen and he was selling secrets to China, according to USNI News.
According to a 2008 Navy release on a naturalization ceremony at which he spoke, “Lin was 14 years old when he and his family left Taiwan. They had to travel halfway around the world, stopping in different countries along the way.”
He speaks fluent Mandarin and had been a department head for the Hawaii-based Special Projects Patrol Squadron Two ‘Wizards’ (VPU-2) that flew EP3-E Aries II signals intelligence aircraft, two sources confirmed to USNI News.
Lin’s job on the Aries II, which bear a resemblance to the maritime surveillance and anti-submarine warfare P-3 Orion, was to manage the collection of electronic signals from the aircraft – a central coordinator.
The specifics of how the U.S. gathers signals from potential adversaries are among the military’s most closely guarded secrets.
Category: Navy
This guy could conceivably be looking at the death penalty. Per the S&S article Jonn linked, espionage involving early warning systems (or a slew of other types of systems/plans/info) are all subject to the death penalty as max sentence under the UCMJ. The guy was assigned to a unit that flies P-8As, P-C3s, and MQ-4Cs. I believe all of those qualify as “early warning systems”.
If that’s the case, I hope the navy has the . . . guts to leave the death penalty on the table at trial. But I’m not holding my breath, given other recent court-martial cases we’ve seen.
yep, you are correct.
Hang ’em…right after Hillary.
I’d put this guy in line first. Clintoon merely endangered national security info by (allegedly) mishandling same. This guy appears to have actively and willfully provided such to another country.
Okay, sure. I’m patient. As long as Clinton is prosecuted also. And heck, with her unprotected server, her information was probably exploited by more governments than this clown’s.
Of course, that wasn’t ultimately my point. Just wanted to highlight what I believe will be our government’s hypocrisy. It will be a cold, cold day before Clinton is prosecuted.
And…I’d love to know what squadron he was with. I was in two which fit the bill.
Now that I think about it, Clinton is just as bad as this LCDR. She didn’t give a damn that the info was on an unclassified and unprotected server.
I work in intel. If I had acted like Hill, I would be writing this from a prison cell.
No, MC. You’d be writing it from under that cell. Maybe even the one that should reserved for Psul. LOL!
Ha! Roger that!
FYI, Commander Patrol and Reconnaissance Group headquarters is located aboard Naval Support Activity Hampton Roads in Norfolk, VA.
http://www.public.navy.mil/airfor/cprg/Pages/default.aspx
Being that the LCDR is reported to currently be locked up in the brig in Chesapeake, VA, perhaps he was stationed at the COMPATRECONGRU HQ at NSA.
Hang him next to Hillary and Berghdal or send all 3 to Gitmo for life without parole, they can have a 3 way together in the same gage. And Barak can come visit them on Saturday afternoons in the exercise yard.
“Birds of feather, can hang together”,would make a great reality program special on HBO or Showtime, or make them walk the plank in shark infested waters after a good chum slick has been put down around them. Now that would be tangible justice for the masses to see. Greed and stupidity on display at its finest the 3 of them.
Forcing such a 3-way would probably run afoul of the 8th Amendment’s ban on “cruel and unusual punishment” – no matter how apropos. (smile)
We presume you mean for the sharks, correct?
On 2nd thought, :-]
The sharks may not like them, they would probably be rancid tasting, and may not have the desired effect and they could swim away,
except for Hillary, of course, she’s to old and out of shape, but then again fat is an advantage for floating, they say, and she does have a large amount of hot air in her lungs, so she could ride the currents till land fall, the other 2 turd coats, who are in far better physical shape, could possibly swim away, unless of course.
The 3 of them have their hands bound & they have to carry an anchor of about 50lbs chained to their waste on a 6ft tether & prodded down the plank with a sabre as a further incentive….since in reality that will never happen,
a good ole’ fashion public hanging as a warning to others, should get the point across, me thinks, when they’re found guilty in a court of law or court martial
As Jonn correctly observes above, the Navy, and the officer corps in particular, is having a rough year. Here’s another relief of a Navy CO that just occurred last Thursday.
‘Leader of joint-military public affairs command removed for loss of confidence’
http://pilotonline.com/news/military/local/leader-of-joint-military-public-affairs-command-removed-for-loss/article_6002474b-f055-533a-9cf2-b5420cec627e.html
‘NORFOLK
The commanding officer of a joint military public affairs and communications strategy organization has been relieved of leadership after a loss of confidence, according to the Navy.
Navy Capt. David Waterman, who commanded the Norfolk-based Joint Public Affairs Support Element, was relieved by Joint Enabling Capabilities Command Air Force Brig. Gen. Sam C. Barrett Thursday. Waterman led the JPASE since November 2014. He has been temporarily assigned to the Military Sealift Command, the Navy said in a news release.
According to Navy officials, Waterman was removed because of poor leadership.
[…]’
Some of this falls on the Chiefs mess. I retired in 2013 and it was getting bad with chiefs getting in trouble and the officers. I know there are some old goats out there that would say it has to do with Chiefs training and advancing these guys to quick and I am there with them.
The Navy E7-E-9 is a small brotherhood and the Navy has allowed certain leadership responsibilities go to them and if they are not trained properly this shit will happen all the time. It all starts with the MCPONS and how they view CPO advancement and leadership.
This one hits far too close to home. Like MustangCryppie I served in three P-3 commands, and am currently a civilian on the P-8 program.
Hang him high.
“…currently a civilian on the P-8 program.”
You lucky dog! It would be great to fly on a plane that didn’t smell from 40 years worth of farts!
Seriously, they look like beautiful aircraft.
Got that new plane smell. *smile*
I don’t know how the numbers work out but my impression is that the Navy has had an inordinate number of spies/traitors over the years, compared with other branches. Maybe that’s not true or maybe it is and there’s a good explanation for it, such as they get caught more often. As for the number of officers relieved, it’s a bloodless purge but something seems to be afoot.
A quick look-up show three fairly recent incidences of military spies:
Clayton J. Lonetree, a Marine, John Anthony Walker, Jr., a Navy WO, and Morris Cohen, discharged from the Army after WW-2.
Regarding Cohen: he was a spy for the Soviets well before World War II (circa 1938). He managed to avoid detection when he was drafted, and was apparently quiescent with respect to espionage activities while serving on active duty. This last is almost certainly because Cohen was deployed to the ETO during the war and had no real opportunity to make contact with his Soviet handlers while serving; had he been posted to CONUS instead, it’s possible things would have been different. His espionage activities appear to have resumed after his military service ended and he returned to the USA.
Since 1985, the active and retired Navy personnel: Walker, Pollard, Charlton, Schwartz, Lessenthien, Kim, Weinmann, and now the unnamed officer. There was also a guy named Smith who was a DoD Civilian Employee working for Navy. So, yeah, it looks like the Navy is on top of the heap in sheer numbers.
And the recently released Jonathan Pollard was a Navy Contractor.
Remember: here “Walker” is really Walker (John) + Walker (Arthur) + Walker (Michael) + Whitworth. All worked for the Soviets. John was the ringleader, but the others were essential parts of his espionage scheme.
May he burn in hell.
Cav, our Navy is our primary means of force projection around the globe during peacetime. And they do it with a lot of hyper-sophisticated vessels, systems, aircraft and weapons that potential enemies would give anything to be able to compromise.
Then of course, one has to factor in the hard truth that all that sophisticated stuff is operated by a bunch of Squids.
Heh…
He and his family came to this country to escape the cesspool that was their home and he pays back all this country has done for him by selling TS information to that cesspool country? Seems legit. Nothing we do to him would cause me one minute of grief. He is a waste of space.
Looks like he was spying for China vice Taiwan. I’m guessing he was recruited (and turned) by the PRC early on during his US residency or while attending college.
I’ve wondered how much the OPM breach will end up contributing to this kind of thing – the PRC knows every single foreign contact for anyone with a clearance. How many of this LCRD’s family members back home are essentially being held hostage these days? Even if that’s not the case with this guy, it’s GOT to be the case with folks we’ll only find out about down the line…
Not to mention he’ll also likely be stripped of his citizenship.
Whoopsie.
and deported, you know, after he finishes his prison sentence. SO he will be a old man when that happens.
Not to mention Dismissal which is the Officer equivalent of a DD. hopefully he’ll be a lonely old man with nothing to his name after he gets out of Leavenworth!
Updated local reporting on this situation from WVEC Channel 13 in Norfolk, VA:
http://www.13newsnow.com/news/navy-officer-taiwan-native-accused-of-spying/127855786
‘CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WVEC) – A Navy officer born in Taiwan is accused of passing secrets to a foreign government, according a charge sheet provided by the Navy and sources familiar with it.
A lieutenant commander assigned to the Norfolk-based Commander Patrol and Reconnaissance Group is in pre-trial confinement facing a litany of charges related to conveying secret information to a foreign government.
Lt. Cmdr. Edward Lin is being held in the Navy’s brig in Chesapeake, Virginia, on multiple counts of espionage, communicating defense information and making false official statements. He also faces charges of adultery and patronizing prostitutes, the charge sheet said.
Investigators suspect Lin of funneling secret information to a country in the Asia-Pacific region, according to three U.S. officials who asked for anonymity while the case is ongoing. The details of the investigation are being closely held, the officials said.
The officials said the country could be either his native Taiwan or the People’s Republic of China, but said which country isn’t clear; the charge sheet released by the Navy does not identify the foreign government Lin allegedly provided secrets to.
Lin faced an Article 32 hearing Friday and the judge has 10 days to submit his recommendation to a court-martial convening authority, according to a Navy official.
Lin’s name was first reported Sunday afternoon by USNI News.
[…]’.
The charge sheet referred to above is also viewable at the WVEC website.
I was with VPU-2 back in the 80s.
Very disappointing. This is a big deal.
By the way, VPU-2 does NOT fly EP-3’s.
I really do hope they hang this fucker.
However, considering what happened to John Walker who spied for the Soviets for 20 years, don’t hold your breath that an execution is in his future.
Perhaps a high ranking communist sympathizer in the U.S government will forgive him. We seam to have a few of them.
Hey, China is our favored nation trading partner and a prime example of the wonders of Free Trade agreements…they’re our buddies…at least that’s what all the traitorous rat fucks who send American production to China would have you believe.
This is all for your benefit citizens, trading with China and pretending we’re friends is all part of globalizing the economy to benefit the whole world….just not the US at the moment..at least not the US middle class.
Let’s all just keep pretending that cheap clothing and electronics has been the economic boom we’ve all been told it is and what’s best for the nation.
I hope they hang the little bastard.
Give him a fair trial…and then hang him.
That is all.
Well, maybe only if he’s found guilty. (smile)
But yeah, I’d support that if we still hung spies. Unfortunately, today the military only uses lethal injection for executions. (At least in theory; the military hasn’t conducted one in decades.)
While I’d prefer to see him hung like a common criminal if convicted, I’d settle for seeing him get the needle instead. But as I said above: based on recent cases, I’m not looking for DoN/DoD to press for the death penalty if/when the guy faces court-martial. I hope I’m wrong.
I see that Akbar is not only still unexecuted, but has just filed a petition for certiorari in the Supreme Court. And that still may be only the beginning, before an endless series of habeas corpus petitions.
So I very much fear that you are right.
The “good” part? Akbar was “only” convicted and sentenced to death nearly 11 years ago (21 and 28 April 2005, respectively).
Great. Just freaking great.
Messed up thing is, I’m pretty sure spys are like roaches, you see one, there are probably more you don’t see.
I don’t care who this SOB was spying for. If he did what is alleged he is a low-life POS who deserves more than he’ll probably get.