NSA Contractor Stole 500Mln Pages of US Secrets Over 20 Years

The US Department of Justice stated in a court filing that Harold Martin III, a former National Security Agency contractor stole half-a-billion pages of US government records over 20 years, including details of secret military activities.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Harold Martin III, a former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor stole half-a-billion pages of US government records over 20 years, including details of secret military activities, the US Department of Justice stated in a court filing.

"Throughout his government assignments, the defendant violated that trust by engaging in wholesale theft of classified government documents and property — a course of felonious conduct that is breathtaking in its longevity and scale," according to the 12-page filing released on Thursday.

Martin, 51, worked for Booz Allen Hamilton as an NSA contractor. He was arrested in August and charged with theft of government property and unauthorized removal or retention of classified documents.

In all, Martin stole 500 million pages of information, the equivalent of 50 terabytes of information, or enough to fill 200 lap top computers, the chargers allege.

Martin will face a court hearing on Friday. His lawyers claim he suffers from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) that made him compulsively hoard the documents.

The filing said Martin may face additional charges, including violating the US Espionage Act.