Ex-NSA Contractor Facing Up to 200 Years in Prison

Whenever there's mention of leaked classified information, the name Edward Snowden comes to mind. But a new name we may have to get used to hearing is: Harold Thomas Martin.

According to Reuters, Martin was taken into custody in August 2016 and is facing 20 criminal counts related to stealing "highly sensitive government material" from the US intelligence community. For each count, the maximum prison term is 10 years, meaning if found guilty on all counts he faces up to a 200 year sentence. As Martin is now 52, it unlikely he'll ever experience freedom again if convicted.

Martin is a former NSA contractor who started out spending four years in the US Navy before becoming a private contractor in 1993. Until 2014 he worked with at least seven companies and several government agencies. Throughout, he was given clearance which allowed access to classified and top secret government files. The last company Martin worked for was Booz Hamilton Holding Corp, which also employed Snowden.

The Justice Department believes that for two decades Martin stole sensitive information and kept it at his home in Glen Burnie, Maryland. Last year, FBI agents discovered 50 terabytes of classified data in his home.

No details have been released as to what he did with the data, but it was taken from multiple intelligence agencies including the NSA, CIA, National Reconnaissance Office, and US Cyber Command dating back to 1996. It is thought Martin had in his possession around 75 percent of the NSA's hacking toolset and many physical documents, too.

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Martin was indicted by a federal grand jury on Wednesday and is expected to appear in the US District Court of Baltimore on Tuesday, February 14th. The Justice Department will be very keen to understand how Martin managed to steal the data for so many years undetected, as well as finding out exactly what he did with the information and who, if anyone, he shared it with. Prosecutors last year stated, "There is evidence that he has remote data storage accounts and has engaged in encrypted communications."