A U.S. government employee stationed overseas has been charged with unlawfully transmitting two highly sensitive classified documents. The charges were filed against Asif William Rahman, 34, who held a Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) security clearance as part of his role with the U.S. government.
According to an indictment filed in the Eastern District of Virginia on November 7, Rahman allegedly retained without authorization two documents classified at the Top Secret/SCI level on or about October 17. These documents contained information related to national defense and were transmitted to an unauthorized person.
Rahman made his initial appearance in federal court in Guam on November 14. The court ordered his continued detention and removal from the District of Guam for further court hearings in the Eastern District of Virginia.
The FBI is leading the investigation with assistance from the U.S. Department of State's Diplomatic Security Service. The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia and National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.
It is important to note that an indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.