@@ Iran analyst faces new charges @@
Arash
May 27, 2005
Warrant issued in AIPAC case
Share your feedback with editors
feedback at jta.org
http://www.jta.org/storage/articleimages/15373.jpg
Lawrence Franklin, left, a Pentagon analyst charged by the FBI with leaking classified
information to AIPAC officials, leaves a courthouse on May 4 with his attorney, John
Richards.
An arrest warrant was issued for a Pentagon staffer accused of giving classified
information to former American Israel Public Affairs Committee officials
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aipac).
The U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of West Virginia announced the arrest warrant
for Lawrence Franklin on Tuesday on charges of possessing classified documents at his
home.
A criminal complaint was filed earlier this month in a Virginia federal court, accusing
Franklin of giving classified information to Steve Rosen, AIPAC's former policy director,
and to Keith Weissman, a former AIPAC Iran specialist.
Franklin is expected to appear in the Virginia court today (Friday) for a preliminary
hearing. The new charges, which were filed separately because of jurisdiction issues, came
during AIPAC's annual policy conference in Washington.
============
WBOY-TV
May 26, 2005
Iran Analyst Faces New Federal Charges
By Juliet A. Terry
jterry at statejournal.com
Lawrence Anthony Franklin, 58, (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Franklin) who already
has been accused of illegally disclosing military secrets, now is facing charges for
unlawfully housing 83 top-secret or classified federal government documents at his
Kearneysville, West Virginia home.
"We filed a criminal complaint today (May 24) based on an affidavit filed by an FBI agent,
charging Lawrence Franklin with unlawful possession," said Thomas E. Johnston, U.S.
attorney for the Northern District of West Virginia.
Johnston said Franklin's home was searched June 30, 2004, and FBI agents found 83
government documents relating to national defense. As a U.S. Department of Defense analyst
with top-secret clearance, Franklin had the ability to view and transport classified
documents.
"His courier authority did not authorize him to carry these documents to his home",
Johnston said.
His carrier territory spread only to the Washington, D.C./Baltimore, Maryland/Richmond,
Virginia, region but not into West Virginia.
FBI agent Terry Grzadzielewski entered a sworn affidavit attesting to what was found at
Franklin's home.
Johnston said the affidavit is used as evidence of probably cause when the case is
presented to a federal magistrate judge, who can authorize the issuance of an arrest
warrant.
Now that the warrant has been issued, Johnston said the U.S. Attorney's Office has 30 days
to present an indictment to a federal grand jury.
Franklin turned himself in May 24 and is out on bond. The charge carries a maximum penalty
of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. He is not being charged with espionage
Of the 83 documents, approximately 38 were classified as top secret, 37 were considered
secret and eight were classified as confidential.
Nine of the documents were found on computer disks. The documents spanned three decades.
The criminal complaint was based in part on the following six documents:
1. Terrorist Threat Integration Center, terrorism situation report -- top
secret/sensitive compartmented information (SCI), dated June 8, 2004.
2. Central Intelligence Agency document concerning Al-Qaida -- top secret/SCI, dated
June 9, 2004.
3. CIA document concerning Osama Bin Laden and Al-Qaida -- secret/SCI, dated Oct. 7,
2003.
4. CIA document concerning Al-Qaida -- secret, dated May 12, 2004.
5. CIA memorandum on Iraq -- secret, dated June 4, 2004.
6. CIA defense executive intelligence view concerning terrorists -- secret, dated June
10, 2004.
Franklin also is facing charges in the Eastern District of Virginia that Johnston said are
related but separate to the new accusations.
In the Virginia case, Franklin is accused of illegally disclosing classified information
related to potential attacks on American forces in Iraq.
According to media reports, Franklin came under suspicion after a June 2003 lunch meeting
with two officials from the lobbying group American Israel Public Affairs Committee
(AIPAC). The group recently fired senior staff members Steve Rosen and Keith Weissman. The
New York Times reported May 22 the AIPAC staffers were fired because of their association
with Franklin.
According to an FBI agent's affidavit in the Virginia case, Franklin had lunch with two
people during which he disclosed classified government information. The two people are not
identified in the affidavit, but it has been speculated widely that Franklin is accused of
sharing government secrets with the pro-Israel lobby.
Franklin, who has a doctorate in Asian studies and is considered an expert on the Middle
East, particularly Iran, has been a Department of Defense employee since 1979.
He also is a colonel with the U.S. Air Force Reserves. His security clearance and access
to classified documents was suspended June 30, 2004, the day the FBI searched his home.
Franklin also is listed as an adjunct faculty member of the history department at Shepherd
University in Shepherdstown.
http://www.jta.org/storage/articleimages/15373.jpg
http://www.richardsilverstein.限com/tikun_olam/images/franklin限_1.jpg
http://graphics8.nytimes.com/i限mages/2005/05/05/national/05sp限y.184.jpg
http://story.news.yahoo.com/ph限oto/050504/480/vakw10105042216限/print
Lawrence (larry) Franklin
Part time lecturer of modern World
Department of History
Shepherd College
Shepherdstown, West Virginia
Office: White Hall, room 316
email: lfrankli at shepherd.edu
Tel: 1-304-876-5329
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/fcd21b15eb3faad1?hl=en