Indicted Spy Could Face Death on New Charges

A federal grand jury brought new and more serious espionage charges Thursday against a former Air Force master sergeant who was allegedly driven by money in his ill-fated quest to pass U.S. secrets to Iraq and Libya.

Brian P. Regan, who was facing a term of life in prison before Thursday, could now be sentenced to death if he is convicted on attempted espionage charges. The 39-year-old Maryland resident, arrested last summer while trying to board a flight to Europe with secrets in tow, pleaded not guilty last November and is due to be arraigned today on the new charges.

Authorities brought the more serious capital charges after uncovering incriminating letters that the former reconnaissance specialist allegedly drafted to Iraq and Libya, seeking millions in exchange for U.S. secrets.

Regan was one of three former government employees caught last year in alleged acts of espionage. Although not nearly as serious as the case against former FBI agent Robert P. Hanssen--who was convicted of spying for the Russians for more than two decades--Regan’s case has reinforced troubling concerns about the United States’ ability to protect its secrets.

Deputy Atty. Gen. Larry Thompson said at a news conference that Regan, a decorated Air Force veteran who went to work for a government contractor after 20 years in the military, engaged in “a systematic and calculated plan to damage our country’s national security.”

The new indictment, handed up by a federal grand jury in Alexandria, Va., includes page after page of what are described as excerpts from Regan’s secret letters.

The indictment charges Regan only with “attempted espionage,” and Thompson and other federal officials refused to say whether he ever actually sent the letters or successfully passed classified information to foreign powers.

In a letter laden with misspellings that Regan allegedly drafted to Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, the Air Force veteran complained that athletes and movie stars in the United States receive “tens of millions of dollars a year for their trivial” work.

Married with four children, Regan went on: “If I am going to risk my life and the future of my family I am going to get paid a fair price,” according to the indictment.

Authorities said he wanted $13 million from the Iraqis in exchange for a secret manual on U.S. reconnaissance and collection systems, along with other intelligence. He promised in the letter that the Iraqis would be getting vital information the United States has spent billions of dollars to develop in acquiring intelligence on other nations.

As a “bonus,” Regan wanted to give Iraq information on their chief adversaries in Iran, authorities said.

Regan allegedly worked out an intricate system for delivering the information to maintain his anonymity, including encrypted letters, hidden messages in the Washington Post’s classified section and secret bank accounts.

Regan also allegedly drafted a similar letter to Libyan President Moammar Kadafi, offering to sell a secret study on Libyan air defense and classified intelligence on satellites, early warning systems, defense against large-scale attacks and other national security issues.

As in the Iraqi letter, Regan warned the Libyans that they would be losing a “great opportunity” if his safety and security should be compromised in any way.

While it is not clear if Regan actually passed on material to foreign powers, he did invest considerable time collecting material that was clearly outside his normal duties in the military, authorities alleged in the indictment.

Beginning in early 1999 and continuing through his military retirement the next year, Regan allegedly used his position in the signals intelligence section of the National Reconnaissance Office to peruse the military’s secure Intelink system and gain access to information on the military preparedness of Iran, Iraq, Libya and China.

Regan was arrested last August as he attempted to board a flight for Germany at Washington’s Dulles International Airport. In his wallet, authorities said, was found encrypted notes about classified material, along with addresses, phone numbers and other information for Chinese and Iraqi embassies in Switzerland, Austria and France. More addresses were hidden in the sole of his shoe, according to the indictment.