FBI Searches N.M. Landfill in Lee Case
Federal agents searched a county landfill Tuesday amid a report that data tapes downloaded by former Los Alamos National Laboratory scientist Wen Ho Lee might be buried in the rubble.
Albuquerque television station KOAT reported Tuesday that agents were seeking the Lee tapes. Lee has said the tapes he downloaded were destroyed.
“The FBI is conducting a search at the Los Alamos landfill in furtherance of an ongoing investigation,” agent Doug Beldon said in Albuquerque.
Neither Beldon nor Justice Department officials contacted by Associated Press in Albuquerque and Washington, D.C., would elaborate. But a source with knowledge of the case, insisting on anonymity, confirmed the search does relate to the Lee investigation.
After spending nine months in custody, Lee was freed Sept. 13, when he pleaded guilty to one count of illegally downloading restricted data to an unsecured tape. Fifty-eight other counts were dropped.
Lee swore he never passed any secrets to any unauthorized person and that he destroyed the tapes when his security clearance was revoked last year.
Stacy Cohen, a Los Angeles spokeswoman for the Lee family and legal team, said only that “Wen Ho continues to cooperate with the government.”
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