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NSA Contractor Accused Of Stealing Classified Government Information

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WASHINGTON (CBS NEWS) - A National Security Agency contractor has been arrested and charged with allegedly compromising highly classified computer codes, CBS News confirmed Wednesday.

The suspect has been identified as Harold Thomas Martin III, 51, of Glen Burnie, Maryland, the Justice Department revealed in a release Wednesday. CBS News Justice and Homeland Security correspondent Jeff Pegues reports he was a Booz Allen Hamilton employee.

Martin, who was arrested on Aug. 27, has been charged with "theft of government property" and "unauthorized removal and retention of classified materials by a government employee or contractor," said the Justice Department after the complaint against him was unsealed Wednesday.

Martin could face up to a year in prison for the unauthorized removal and retention of the classified materials and 10 years in prison for stealing government property. He appeared in court on Aug. 29 and he remains detained, the Justice Department said.

This comes three years after Edward Snowden, a NSA contractor who also worked for Booz Allen Hamilton, leaked top secret U.S. government documents from the agency.

Read more at CBS News.

(© Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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