FBI probes White House military aide, classified documents

Federal prosecutors have accused a former White House military aide and FBI intelligence analyst of stealing secret government information and passing it to current and former public officials in the Philippines.

Leandro Aragoncillo, 46, a former Marine who worked at the FBI's Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, Information Technology Center, was arrested last month along with a former Philippines National Police intelligence official, according to the FBI and federal prosecutors in Newark, New Jersey.

Aragoncillo is charged with downloading and e-mailing documents from FBI computers at the New Jersey facility, where he had worked since July 2004, according to a Justice Department statement, reports Bloomberg.

According to investigators, he used his high level security clearance to steal top secret intelligence files from White House computers.

It's believed stolen materials included a damaging document on the prime minister of the Philippines, which was passed to opposition leaders planning a coup.

Aragoncillo was working for Gore in 2000 when the accused was interviewed about his job by Philippine television. "I think what they like most is our integrity and loyalty," he said.

Officials say it is the first case of spying at the White House in modern history.

"Even though it's not for the Russians or some other government, the fact that it occurred at the White House is a matter of great concern," John Martin, who was the government's lead espionage prosecutor for 26 years, informs ABC News.

Photo Reuters P.T.