A newly revealed federal case has been leveled against IT specialist Aurelio Luis Perez-Lugones for unlawfully retaining classified national defense information after allegedly leaking it to Washington Post journalist Hannah Natanson.
For context, the investigation gained attention when FBI agents searched Natanson’s home and seized her devices. Perez-Lugones, working for a government contractor, printed classified reports by inserting screenshots into a generic Word document to evade detection.
According to FBI documents, however, his employer’s advanced printer surveillance archived complete copies of printed materials, leading to his identification. Additional surveillance captured him taking notes from classified screens. Reacting to the information, Attorney General Bondi emphasized zero tolerance for such leaks endangering national security.
Digging into the details, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced, “This past week, at the request of the Department of War, the Department of Justice and FBI executed a search warrant at the home of a Washington Post journalist who was obtaining and reporting classified and illegally leaked information from a Pentagon contractor.”
Continuing her comments, she noted, “The leaker is currently behind bars. I am proud to work alongside Secretary Hegseth on this effort. The Trump Administration will not tolerate illegal leaks of classified information that, when reported, pose a grave risk to our Nation’s national security and the brave men and women who are serving our country.”
“Perez-Lugones’ employer can retrieve records of print activity on classified systems, including copies of printed documents,” an FBI affidavit revealed how the leaker was caught by the authorities after the intelligence leak.
Wrapping up the same document noted, more details of the case, saying,”[Perez-Lugones was observed] back and forth between the screen corresponding to the classified system and the notepad, all the while writing on the notepad.”
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Offering another view of the scandal, FBI Director Kash Patel noted, “Perez-Lugones allegedly printed and removed classified documents from his workplace on multiple occasions, took them home, and later passed them to a reporter who used the information in news articles.”
Building on this point, he added, “Protecting our country’s secrets is essential to the safety of our most sensitive intelligence, military, and law enforcement operations. The FBI will continue to aggressively investigate everyone who seeks to undermine our national security and hold them accountable.”
“The indictment charges that Perez-Lugones willfully transmitted national defense information to a news reporter, placing our national security at risk,” explained U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes for the District of Maryland.
Additionally, Hayes stated, “Protecting sensitive national security information is a core responsibility of the Department of Justice, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners will pursue accountability when that trust is violated. Putting it simply, risking our national security cannot and will not be tolerated.”
Assistant Director in Charge Darren B. Cox of the FBI’s Washington Field Office declared, “This alleged brazen betrayal posed the threat of exceptionally grave damage to national security, including endangering our warfighters and ongoing military operations.”