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The made-for-TV arrest came in the wake of other high-profile, leak-related prosecutions under the Trump administration, and they have pledged to go on the offensive against leakers. President Trump referred to such people as "traitors and cowards," but has not said whether he plans to have them executed as traitors if found guilty.
Imagine if he did.
Natalie Mayflower Sours Edwards [aka: Natalie Mayflower Nina Pinta Santa Maria Sours Edwards] is a [or was a] senior official at the department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). Imagine being a top dog in a Financial Crimes Enforcement Network and get caught committing a crime involving the finances of others. You cannot make this stuff up.
She is accused of illegally handing over to a reporter bank reports documenting several suspicious financial transactions, known as Suspicious Activity Reports [aka: SARs, not to be confused with the severe acute respiratory syndrome also known as SARS with a big "S"], from October 2017 to the present.
The financial transactions she pilfered and provided to a reporter [who remains anonymous] involved Trump campaign chief Paul Manafort, campaign official Richard Gates, accused Russian agent Maria Butina, and the guys and gals in the Russian Embassy.
Edwards saved the SARs, "along with thousands of other files containing sensitive government information," to a government-provided flash drive, prosecutors said. She allegedly transmitted the SARs to the reporter by "taking photographs of them and texting the photographs" using an encrypted app.
Very James Bond. Very Mitch Rapp. Very Brian Alexander [the hero of my next novel to be released sometime before Hell freezes over].
Although the journalist's name wasn't disclosed in court papers, the documents list over ten stories published by BuzzFeed News over the past 18 months, but a spokesman for the outlet declined to comment.
This case is likely the first criminal prosecution arising from leaks about targeted individuals by Special Counsel Robert Mueller's probe in the Russia investigation. Gates pleaded guilty and Manafort was found guilty of various bank and tax crimes, having nothing to do with President Trump.
In a Wednesday hearing, federal magistrate judge Theresa Buchanan released Edwards and all of her names on their own recognizance, subject to the custody of her parents. She, along with her mom and dad, also signed a $100,000 bond as part of her release. Edwards faces two charges, each carrying a maximum sentence of five years in the slammer and a $250,000 fine.
Edwards is currently on administrative leave at Treasury, FinCEN spokesman Steve Hudak said.
"In her position, Edwards was entrusted with sensitive government information. As we allege here today, Edwards violated that trust when she made several unauthorized disclosures to the media," FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge William F. Sweeney Jr. said in a statement. "Today's action demonstrates that those who fail to protect the integrity of government information will be rightfully held accountable for their behavior."
Geoffrey Berman, U.S. attorney in Manhattan, where the criminal complaint was filed, said that Edwards "betrayed her position of trust by repeatedly disclosing highly sensitive information." She is alleged to have taken photos of the confidential documents and sent them to a reporter using an encrypted messaging app, according to court papers. This clearly shows she was aware of the illegality of her actions.
In addition, she also sent the same reporter internal Treasury Department emails, investigative memos and intelligence assessments, according to prosecutors.
According to court papers, federal investigators obtained a court order to monitor the calls to and from the associate director's personal cellphone, and that monitoring captured the frequency of contacts with the reporter via the encrypted messaging application.
If convicted, Edwards may continue working for Treasury from her prison cell along with several unnamed colleagues in cellblock B.
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