Officials said Brinksman’s partner operated a Substack publication and published a fundraising article in September
The FBI arrested Ian A. Brinksman, 42, of Washington, D.C., a U.S. government contractor, on Friday after searching his residence, according to UPI, citing officials. Prosecutors charged him with unlawfully transmitting national defense information, alleging that he gave the material to a romantic partner for online publication. Officials said the partner then published the sensitive material online.
UPI reported that Brinksman began working for a federal agency based in the Eastern District of Virginia in 2020.
UPI reported that in 2022, Brinksman took a position as a systems integration developer for a contractor serving the agency.
Brinksman held a top secret security clearance with access to sensitive compartmented information.
The Department of Justice said Brinksman had a personal relationship with an individual who operated an online publication on Substack and repeatedly published classified government information.
Prosecutors said Brinksman obtained classified information outside his official duties and provided it to his romantic partner, knowing the information would be published.
Officials said the romantic partner published a fundraising article in September claiming to have reported on classified government assessments.
A social-media post from the person said they accepted leaks.
Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Eisenberg said in a statement: “As alleged, Brinksman reached far outside his own duties to obtain some of our Nation’s most closely held secrets and handed them to a romantic partner he knew intended to publish them.”