Northrop Grumman Engineer Could Get Death Penalty For Selling Classified Info

[DoYouEverWonder]

November 24, 2006

Washington, DC (AHN)-A federal grand jury has indicted Noshir Gowadia, a Northrop Grumman engineer, for allegedly transferring classified military information to China, Israel, Germany, and Switzerland.

Gowadia, a 62-year-old Indian-born engineer who worked for 18 years at Northrop Grumman could face the death penalty if convicted. A grand jury handed down an 18-count federal charge indictment on Nov. 15. He is expected to face trial in January 2007 in Honolulu.

In addition to allegedly offering Israel, Germany and Switzerland "top secret" data about U.S. weapons' technology, Gowadia is accused of selling detailed information on the technology used in the development of B-2 bomber engines, considered by the Pentagon as being "at the head of the list of China's intelligence target."

According to Assistant Attorney General Kenneth Wainstein, "As charged in the superseding indictment, the defendant in this case attempted to profit from his know-how and his knowledge of sensitive military technology."

http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7005624144

[lindisfarne]

1. Selling classified info. is punishable by death, but merely telling a reporter it has no penalty?n/t

[Katzenjammer]

2. Did Jonathan Whatsisname, who sold to Israel, risk the DP?

It'll be interesting to see whether the two cases are handled as similarly as they appear to be in fact.

[DavidDvorkin]

3. The cases are very different

Jonathan Pollard was convicted of passing secret information to Israel, an ally. In the current case, the man is accused of passing secret information to China.

[Katzenjammer]

4. That's not as different as you think. It's the passing that's the crime, not the destination.

China is also an "ally", just not a client/proxy state the way Israel is.

[billyoc]

6. Israel and the US are not allies,

Nor are China and the US enemies. These two cases are identical.

[Sherman A1]

7. Agreed

It's the act of transmitting the classified information that is the issue. The cases are completely identical and should have similar punishments.

[greccogirl]

8. Since when is Israel/Us not allies?

[DoYouEverWonder]

9. There has never been any type of formal written agreement

between Israel and the US.

[greccogirl]

13. Maybe not - but Israel is still our ally. At least the last time

I looked.

[Scurrilous]

11. "...the man is accused of passing secret information to China."

...and Israel, Germany, and Switzerland.


American suspected of spying for Israel

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3332537,00.html

Federal grand jury indicts Indian-born Noshir Gowadia, a Northrop Grumman engineer, for allegedly transferring classified military information to China, Israel, Germany, and Switzerland

<snip>

"All Headline News reported that a federal grand jury has indicted Noshir Gowadia, a Northrop Grumman engineer, for allegedly transferring classified military information to China, Israel, Germany, and Switzerland.

The report said that Gowadia, a 62-year-old Indian-born engineer who worked for 18 years at Northrop Grumman could face the death penalty if convicted. A grand jury handed down an 18-count federal charge indictment on Nov. 15. He is expected to face trial in January 2007 in Honolulu.

All Headline News reported that in addition to allegedly offering Israel, Germany and Switzerland "top secret" data about US weapons' technology, Gowadia is accused of selling detailed information on the technology used in the development of B-2 bomber engines, considered by the Pentagon as being "at the head of the list of China's intelligence target."

According to Assistant Attorney General Kenneth Wainstein was quoted as saying, "As charged in the superseding indictment, the defendant in this case attempted to profit from his know-how and his knowledge of sensitive military technology."

[aggiesal]

5. Also, during the time of war, this could be treated as treason.

If this is the case, then it could be the death penalty.

[krispos42]

10. Hang'em

Put him alongside Scooter and Deadeye Dick and Rove and Shrub and whoever else leaked Plames ID to Novak. We have no friggin' idea what's happening in Iran'd nuclear program right now BECAUSE of the Gruesome Foursome. They leaked this, and wiped out the CIA NOC agents. Now, not only do we not know what's going on there, but the world can backtrack Plame and Wilson's travel records and figure out what they learned years aso.

[LibDemAlways]

12. Back in the 1970's two young men

named Chris Boyce and Daulton Lee sold classified information to the Russians. Boyce worked in a top secret lab at TRW in Southern California where he engaged in photocopying sensitive documents and smuggling them out of the facility. Lee carried the information to the Russian embassy in Mexico City where he was paid handsomely for the info. He used his share of the money to finance his other business - dealing drugs. The story of how two young men from affluent families in California got involved in espionage was made into a film called The Falcon and The Snowman back in 1985.

Where are these two convicted felons today? Rotting away in maximum security? Sitting on death row?
Nope. Lee was released years ago and went to work for Sean Penn who portrayed him in the movie. After escaping from jail in the early 80's and robbing banks to stay afloat, Boyce was recaptured and spent time in maximum security facilities until his release a couple of years ago.

Based on recent precedent, I'd be very surprised if Noshir Gowadia was treated any more harshly. If convicted he'd certainly do prison time, but dealing in classified information probably wouldn't earn him a death sentence.

By the way, I went to high school in Palos Verdes, CA with Boyce and Lee. It must have been a breeding ground for miscreants as George Allen was a classmate, too.

[Anakin Skywalker]

14. They Were Let Go So Easily? Second Thought, Not So Shocking: Money Buys You Freedom.

[LibDemAlways]

15. Boyce's dad was a former CIA agent. Daulton Lee was

the son of a well-to-do doctor. Their backgrounds, no doubt, ultimately influenced the parole board.

[TheFarseer]

16. He should get the DP

I have no patience for this. These actions could have severe consequences for our future.

[Poll_Blind]

17. This is just an indictment. If he's found guilty though he should pay dearly.

  A traitor is a traitor. Giving or selling classified defense or weapons technology should be a crime for which a great penalty is extracted. Though I am not particularly happy with supporting the death penalty (which I do, barely) I believe anyone doing this should be either sentenced to death or a very very long prison term.

  I really hate people like this- they gain access to our nation's most closely guarded secrets and betray the trust we invest in them.

PB

[Katzenjammer]

18. What about the Pentagon Papers -- same or different? (nt)

[Poll_Blind]

19. Different, and I'm glad you asked the question. The Pentagon...

...papers were a classified history of America's involvement in the Vietnam war. The document (and it was huge, something like 5,000+ pages) showed, among other things, that President Johnson was lying to the American people about America's involvement in the war and what had actually taken place, and when.

  Furthermore, these materials were leaked to American newspapers for disclosure to the American people as an attempt to uncover the wrongdoing involved.

  The release of the Pentagon Papers are categorically different, then, in comparison to an agent of a foreign nation stealing and disseminating or selling the information to another nation.

  Once again: Pentagon Papers exposed lies and wrongdoing, were a history, and were freely leaked to American papers for publication for American consumption.

  This case: Defense and weapon-system information (IIRC), sold to a foreign entity covertly for monetary gain and which harms America's national defense which the Pentagon Papers did not.

  This distinction came up in the AIPAC Franklin spy case as well. These are people selling out our secrets or giving them away to foreign nations to which they have some ideological allegiance. While the AIPAC Franklin spy case was similar, IIRC, to the Pentagon Papers in that it concerned strategy it was not a history (current info on ongoing policy planning) and covertly given/sold to a foreign nation for private consumption by their intelligence agencies and eventual manipulation of American foreign policy.

PB