Air Force veteran charged with disclosing classified information

An Air Force veteran released classified national defense information about aircraft and weapons to unauthorized individuals, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said in a Thursday announcement.

Paul Freeman, 68, of Niceville, Fla., was indicted by a federal grand jury and the charges unsealed after he appeared before a court Thursday in Pensacola.

The DOJ accused Freeman of transmitting the classified information about Air Force assets between November 2020 and March 2021.

Freeman faces up to 10 years in prison on each of the nine charges he was indicted on.

The Air Force said Freeman retired from active duty service at the rank of lieutenant colonel in 2003. He first enlisted in active duty in 1984. He served last at Eglin Air Force Base in western Florida and was an operations officer.

Although Freeman’s alleged behavior occurred a few years ago, the U.S. has been trying to crack down on classified leakers.

Former President Trump faces federal charges for refusing to turn over classified documents when he left office, and the DOJ investigated both President Biden and former Vice President Mike Pence over their handling of classified documents but ultimately did not pursue charges.

Last year, the U.S. arrested Pentagon leaker Jack Teixeira, a former Massachusetts airman who pleaded guilty over the spring and also appeared for a military justice proceeding in May.

Teixeira, an information technology specialist with the 102nd Intelligence Wing at Otis Air National Guard Base in Massachusetts, was accused of leaking highly classified documents about Russia’s war in Ukraine and other sensitive secrets about U.S. allies.

— Updated at 4:57 p.m.