Ensuring accountability, federal authorities arrested Aurelio Perez-Lugones, a Maryland-based Pentagon contractor, former Navy veteran, and systems administrator with top-secret clearance, for unlawfully retaining classified national defense information related to Operation Absolute Resolve, the January 3, 2026, U.S. military raid capturing Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro.
For context, during the daring raid, materials were found in his lunchbox, basement, and vehicle. The disgraced contractor allegedly shared some with Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson. The reporter was not charged, although her Virginia home was raided on January 14, 2026, with devices seized to identify sources.
Reacting to the arrest during his conversation with Venezuela’s interim leader Delcy Rodriguez, President Trump said, “The leaker was found, and is in jail right now. The leaker on Venezuela. A very bad leaker… Will probably be in jail for a long, long time.”
Echoing these comments, Attorney General Pamela Bondi said, “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. The leaker is currently behind bars.”
Likewise, FBI Director Kash Patel noted, “This morning the @FBI and partners executed a search warrant of an individual at the Washington Post who was found to allegedly be obtaining and reporting classified, sensitive military information from a government contractor – endangering our warfighters and compromising America’s national security. The alleged leaker was arrested this week and is in custody.”
During the detention hearing, Assistant US Attorney Patricia McLane asserted, “He admitted to federal officers that he mishandled classified information.” Additionally, she cited the suspect’s anger over the Trump administration’s recent actions to explain the alleged crime.
Digging into the detials, a viral social media post noted, “On Wednesday, the FBI executed a search warrant on the Virginia home of Hannah Natanson, a reporter with The Washington Post who covers the federal workforce and has been a part of some of the Post’s most high-profile and sensitive coverage involving government employee whistleblowers during the first year of the second Trump Administration.”
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Additionally, the same source revealed, “According to the Justice Department, the search, which resulted in the seizure of Natanson’s phone and smart watch, was part of an investigation into Aurelio Perez-Lugones, a system administrator in Maryland.”
Closing out, the post noted that the Maryland man had “A top-secret security clearance and has been accused of accessing, printing, and taking home classified intelligence reports that were found in his lunchbox and his basement during a raid last year by the FBI.”
Upset, one conservative asked, “How stupid can he be??? He is charged with unlawful retention of national defense information, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison per count under the Espionage Act. U.S. Navy Vet…what a POS traitor. He took an oath…”
Another viral post reacted, “🚨 BREAKING: The leaker on President Trump’s Venezuela operations has been PUT IN JAIL, and more leakers are being hunted down FAFO.” In the comments under this post, a conservative quipped, “Isn’t leaking treason? Seems like they used to deal with treason differently.”