Former DOS Employee Sentenced for Illegally Accessing Confidential Passport Files
July 10, 2009 – 11:29 am
On the basis of a voluntary confession, U.S. Magistrate Judge Alan Kay in the District of Columbia has sentenced a former State Department employee Gerald R. Lueders to one year of probation and ordered him to pay a $5,000 fine for illegally accessing more than 50 confidential passport application files. During the trial, Lueders admitted his guilt and stated that between July 2005 and February 2008, he logged onto the Passport Information Electronic Records System (PIERS) database and viewed the passport application of more than 50 celebrities, actors, politicians, musicians, athletes etc. Lueders is the third current or former State Department employee to plead guilty in this continuing investigation. Earlier, Lawrence C. Yontz, a former Foreign Service Officer and Dwayne F. Cross, a former administrative assistant pleaded guilty to unlawfully accessing confidential passport files. These confidential files are protected by the Privacy Act of 1974, and access by State Department employee is limited to official duties.
For detailed information, please read: Former D0S Employee Sentenced for Illegally Accessing Confidential Passport Files
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