[prev in list] [next in list] [prev in thread] [next in thread] 

List:       isn
Subject:    [ISN] White House Agency Employee Charged in Phone Scheme
From:       William Knowles <wk () C4I ! ORG>
Date:       2000-03-28 5:16:40
[Download RAW message or body]

http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20000327/tc/crime_whitehouse_1.html

By Gail Appleson, Law Correspondent

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A U.S. Army sergeant has been charged with giving
out long distance White House telephone access code information that
allowed individuals to charge some 9,400 calls worth $50,000 to the
federal government, prosecutors said on Monday.

David Gilmer, who was assigned to the White House Communications
Agency, was arrested late Friday in Virginia on a criminal complaint
filed in Manhattan federal court that alleged the calls were made over
the last few months.

The WHCA provides telephone service to Executive Branch agencies and
departments including the President, Vice President, White House
Senior Staff, National Security Council, U.S. Secret Service and
others as directed by the White House Military Office.

AT&T provides the long-distance phone service for the WHCA.

No information was immediately available on the identities of those
who used the information or if Gilmer made any profits from giving it
out.

The White House said Gilmer is no longer attached to the
Communications Agency but had no further comment on the matter.

Prosecutors said those involved in the scheme were able to use the
White House code in much the same way consumers use telephone calling
cards. However, in this case the WHCA was billed for the calls instead
of the users.

According to court papers, individuals called a WHCA toll-free number
and entered a numerical code. They then heard a dial tone and were
able to make long distance calls.

AT&T told investigators that about 9,400 unauthorized calls were made
between about Dec. 5, 1999, and Feb. 8. Some of these calls were made
from phones in New Jersey and New York City. WHCA was billed about
$50,000 for the calls.

AT&T and Bell Atlantic provided authorities with subscriber
information for several of the residential and business telephone
lines on which the calls were made and search warrants were obtained
for those properties.

In searching one of the New Jersey properties, agents said that said
one individual admitted using the WHCA toll-free number and code since
September 1999.

The unidentified individual allegedly told authorities the information
came from Gilmer. According to court papers, the individual had
Gilmer's business card identifying him as an employee of the WHCA
assigned to the Presidential Communications division.

On March 17 the individual consented to be taped by federal agents
when that individual called Gilmer. The individual asked Gilmer for
another WHCA code to avoid being billed for a long distance call.
Gilmer allegedly provided the code.

The individual made a second taped call on March 22 and during the
conversation Gilmer allegedly admitted giving access codes to other
individuals.


*-------------------------------------------------*
"Communications without intelligence is noise;
Intelligence without communications is irrelevant."
Gen. Alfred. M. Gray, USMC
---------------------------------------------------
C4I Secure Solutions             http://www.c4i.org
*-------------------------------------------------*

ISN is sponsored by Security-Focus.COM

[prev in list] [next in list] [prev in thread] [next in thread]