Oops, that's 'workaholic,' not 'alcoholic'
The Breeze ran a wire service story the other day about a scientist being sentenced for taking home classified documents from Boeing's El Segundo plant.
Now, it isn't always very easy to hear in court. Whenever I go, I try to sit in the front row. There's a lot going on -- attorneys talking, phones ringing, people coming and going. Well, here's one of those mistakes that will make any reporter cringe and feel bad for whoever made the error:
City News Service sent this correction today:
"A CNS story slugged Scientist Sentencing that was transmitted Monday incorrectly stated that the defendant, Abraham Lesnik, admitted during the sentencing hearing that he had a drinking problem when he took classified documents from Boeing's El Segundo plant to his Valley Village home.
In fact, Lesnik never referred to anything involving alcohol. Instead, he told the judge that he was a "workaholic."
Following is a corrected version of the story, with the third graf changed:
LOS ANGELES (CNS) - A former Boeing aerospace engineer has been sentenced to three years probation and a $25,000 fine for taking classified documents from his employer's El SegundO plant to his Valley Village home.
Abraham Lesnik, 62, who specialized in aircraft anti-missile systems for Boeing, pleaded guilty in July to one felony count of unauthorized possession of defense information.
Before sentencing, U.S. District Judge Florence-Marie Cooper said Lesnik clearly had no intention of selling the information or showing it to anyone else. In a tearful apology to the court, Lesnik said he regretted his actions during a time when he was a "workaholic."
"I deeply regret my actions," he told the judge. "The risk I took was very large. I had such dismally poor judgment. I have some serious flaws in my personality. I hurt the people I love the most -- my family and my friends."
Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel S. Goodman had asked Cooper to sentence Lesnik to four years in prison after arguing that the top-secret documents were taken "for selfish reasons, to get ahead in his profession (and) because he enjoyed having them ... for his own reasons."
But Lesnik's attorney, Marc S. Harris, countered that in dozens of similar federal cases where classified information was removed from a workplace, but not transferred to a third party, misdemeanor charges were often filed, resulting in probation instead of jail time.
"There was an intention on the government's part to try and spin the facts in the most sinister way possible," Harris said.
The FBI began investigating Lesnik in 2006 after suspicion arose that classified information involving defense systems was possibly ending up in the possession of unauthorized people.
According to Lesnik's plea agreement, he had classified documents and writings at his home instead of turning them over to a federal officer or employee, as required by law.
Lesnik, who has a doctorate in physics, held a U.S. Defense Department security clearance for elements of work he was doing with Boeing, Goodman said.
Lesnik repeatedly brought large numbers of classified documents home in his computer's
thumb drive, a tiny storage device, Goodman said. The indictment zeroed in on 11 documents -- all of which were either marked "secret" or "top secret," Goodman said.
Included among the classified papers was a top-secret document pertaining to "national defense satellite threat mitigation," court papers state.
Before being sentenced today to three years probation and a $25,000 fine, Lesnik faced a statutory maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.
"He brought it on himself," Harris said.
About the Blogger
Larry Altman has covered crime in the South Bay since 1990. He's seen it all - the missing model who turned up dead in the desert, the wives found dead in trunks, the high-school coaches who get a little too close to their players. He drives his young colleagues nuts with his "I remember when" stories. He welcomes your tips and observations about the present, and you can mix in a little Lakers basketball talk if you like.
E-mail Larry at larry.altman@dailybreeze.com.
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