A pinch of romance, a secret international rendezvous, forged identities, and a splash of classified documents – sound like a recipe for the latest Hollywood spy thriller? It’s actually a recent federal criminal complaint filed against a former Army Reserve Lieutenant Colonel – and it’s equally as satisfying.
In United States v. Benjamin Bishop, No. 13-0207-RLP (D. Haw. filed Mar. 14, 2013), Bishop, age 59, was an activated Army Reserve Lieutenant Colonel, and then a defense contractor employee, working at the U.S. Pacific Command in Hawaii. Bishop has held a Top Secret security clearance since 2002. Sometime in 2011, Bishop met an unidentified 27-year-old Chinese national at an international military conference in Hawaii. The woman was in Hawaii on a student visa. According to the complaint, the woman “may have been at the conference in order to target individuals such as Bishop who work with and have access to U.S. classified information.” See Complaint, Affidavit at ¶9. Bishop and the woman began a romantic relationship in June 2011. However, Bishop never reported this relationship, as he was required to do in order to maintain his security clearance. Instead, Bishop actually forged a Request for Leave to visit the U.K. to visit the woman. Bishop changed the woman’s first name to a masculine form and added a letter to her last name to obscure her identity.
The complaint filed by the government alleges that, through email messages and telephone calls, Bishop provided the woman with information about planned deployment of U.S. strategic nuclear systems and missile defenses, including an early warning radar system in the Pacific. He also disclosed the United States military’s ability to detect short and medium range ballistic missiles of foreign governments. Bishop also allegedly brought 12 classified documents to his Hawaii home. Finally, the complaint alleges that Bishop conducted research for the woman regarding the knowledge of Western nations regarding a Chinese naval asset, including accessing classified information on the topic for the woman. The matter is pending indictment and trial in the U.S. District Court in Hawaii.
This case is a strong reminder to government contractors to identify national security and security clearance-related issues for their employees when contracts have those components, and teach employees how best to avoid the “Honey Trap.”
Brian Stolarz is the attorney responsible for the content of this article.