Accused ex-NSA contractor to stay in custody, judge rules

BALTIMORE — A former National Security Agency contractor accused in a massive theft of classified information will remain in custody as prosecutors continue building a criminal case against him, a federal judge ruled Friday.

U.S. Magistrate Judge A. David Copperthite agreed with prosecutors that Harold T. Martin III of Glen Burnie, Md., represented a flight risk if released. He said there was no doubt that the top secret information Martin was accused of stealing over two decades is something “this country’s enemies would love to explore.” Martin’s lawyers foreshadowed their upcoming defense, describing him as a “compulsive hoarder” and saying there was no evidence he ever shared the information with a foreign country or even intended to do so.

“He’s not Edward Snowden,” said James Wyda, the federal defender representing Martin, referring to the former NSA contractor who disclosed to journalists secret information about government surveillance programs.

Prosecutors have said FBI agents who searched Martin’s home and car in August found evidence of a “breathtaking” theft of top secret government information. Investigators found records dated from 1996 to 2016, seized dozens of computers and digital storage devices and, all told, recovered some 50 terabytes of information — or enough to fill roughly 200 laptops. A substantial amount of that information, prosecutors said, was highly classified.

A complaint unsealed earlier this month charged Martin with theft of government property and unauthorized removal and retention of classified materials, which together carry a combined maximum sentence of 11 years in prison.