US charges NSA contractor with classified government material theft

The US Justice Department charged a Maryland man with theft of classified government material, according to a court complaint unsealed on Wednesday.

The US justice department charged a Maryland man with theft of classified government material, according to a criminal complaint unsealed on Wednesday.

Harold Thomas Martin worked at the same consulting firm that employed Edward Snowden when he revealed the collection of metadata by the National Security Agency. (Reuters File Photo)

The justice department identified the man as Harold Thomas Martin, 51, and said he worked as a government contractor. The New York Times said he worked for Booz Allen Hamilton, the same consulting firm that employed Edward Snowden when he revealed the collection of metadata by the National Security Agency.

Six documents investigators found in Martin’s possession allegedly contained sensitive intelligence and were produced by a US government agency in 2014.

“These six documents were produced through sensitive government sources, methods, and capabilities, which are critical to a wide variety of national security issues,” the complaint said.

Martin had a top secret national security clearance and the ability to access US government property that was not permitted to leave its authorized location, according to the criminal complaint.