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(NEW YORK) — A 67-year-old South Dakota man has been sent to prison for over 10 years after being convicted of attempting to disclose classified information on U.S. Air Force systems to the Russian government, officials said.

The U.S. Department of Justice announced on Monday that John Murray Rowe from Lead, South Dakota, was sentenced to 126 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release and a $25,000 fine for attempted espionage.

Rowe was charged by indictment in December 2021 and pleaded guilty in April of last year to one count of attempted delivery of national defense information to a foreign government, and three counts of willful communication of national defense information.

According to court documents, Rowe was employed for nearly 40 years as a test engineer for multiple cleared defense contractors and held various high-level while he worked on matters relating to U.S. Air Force electronic warfare technology.

However, after several security violations and “concerning inquiries and statements about Russia and sensitive information,” according to the DOJ, Rowe was identified as a potential insider threat and terminated from employment.

“In March 2020, Rowe told an undercover FBI agent, who he believed to be an agent of the Russian government, that he was not loyal to the United States and that he was interested in helping Russia,” officials said in their statement regarding Rowe on Monday. “During this meeting, Rowe disclosed national defense information classified as [information] that concerned specific operating details of the electronic countermeasure systems used by U.S. military fighter jets, among other things.”

Over the course of the next eight months, Rowe exchanged over 300 emails with a person he believed to be a Russian agent, confirming his willingness to work for the Russian government and discussing his knowledge of classified information relating to U.S. national security, according to officials.

In one email, Rowe was accused of explaining, “If I can’t get a job [in the United States] then I’ll go work for the other team.” In another email, Rowe was said to disclose classified national defense information concerning the U.S. Air Force and, in September 2020, Rowe had a second in-person meeting with the undercover FBI agent where he again disclosed classified national defense information.

“The defendant spent decades working on sensitive U.S. defense programs and was entrusted with safeguarding protected and classified information about military technology. Instead of honoring that trust and his legal responsibilities as a clearance holder, he chose to violate both — repeatedly and willfully attempting to disclose classified information to someone he believed was a foreign agent,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “The Justice Department will hold accountable those who disregard country and conscience at the expense of our Nation’s security, including, as here, out of spite.”

Rowe was arrested on a criminal complaint and warrant on Dec. 15, 2021, and was detained while he waited for his trial to begin but was caught disclosing the same classified national defense information concerning the U.S. Air Force to relatives and an associate during recorded prison calls.

“Despite his knowledge, training, experience, and decades of work as a military contractor, Rowe chose to betray the trust placed in him by his country,” said U.S. Attorney David Metcalf for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. “His repeated, willful efforts to harm the U.S. by divulging sensitive defense information to an adversary are inexcusable. My office and our partners will continue to hold fully accountable anyone seeking to compromise the national security of the United States.”

“By attempting to disclose classified information on U.S. Air Force systems to the Russian government, John Rowe endangered American lives and compromised U.S. national security,” said Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division.

Rozhavsky added, “This sentencing demonstrates the FBI and our partners will use every tool available to safeguard the homeland from internal and external threats. Anyone tempted to violate their oath to safeguard classified information should understand the severe consequences — and remember the FBI will never stop until we bring you to justice.”

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(NEW YORK) — On the eve of court scheduled appearances for high-profile suspected gunmen Tyler Robinson and Luigi Mangione, a new law enforcement assessment warned of calls for further violence against politicians, business leaders and other dignitaries.

The assessment — prepared by the NYPD counterterrorism and intelligence bureau after the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk — said the killing of the conservative pundit last week and UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson late last year stems from the same toxic and violent atmosphere.

“The targeted attack occurred against the backdrop of an increasingly volatile threat environment in the U.S. amid ongoing concerns over the targeting of and violent threats persistently aimed at prominent political figures, CEOs, public officials, and other dignitaries. These individuals likely remain vulnerable at open-air speaking engagements and public events, which have been targeted by malicious actors seeking to advance political or ideological agendas and/or draw attention to unique personal grievances through violence,” the document, obtained by ABC News, said.

“This attack, along with a series of recent high-profile assaults linked to actors with a host of grievances, underscores the continued need for heightened vigilance among law enforcement officers and private-sector security personnel with dignitary/executive protection responsibilities. Rather than aligning with a single extremist ideology, malicious actors may adopt a personalized, hate-filled worldview drawn from a mix of beliefs, amplifying the risk of future attacks by lone offenders that glean tactical/targeting inspiration from prior acts of high-profile violence and find support in permissive online environments,” the bureau said in the document.

Robinson, the suspected gunman in Kirk’s killing, is expected to face capital murder charges in Utah on Tuesday. Authorities have said Robinson may have been “radicalized” online and that ammunition found in the gun used to kill Kirk included anti-fascist and meme-culture writings.

Luigi Mangione, who has been indicted on federal charges in the shooting of Thompson in Midtown, Manhattan on Dec. 4, 2024, is due in a New York court on Tuesday when the judge is expected to rule on several outstanding motions, including defense motions to dismiss state murder charges and exclude certain evidence. Mangione has pleaded not guilty.

Prosecutors have suggested Mangione inspired other violence, namely the shooting in July targeting the NFL headquarters at 345 Park Av. His attorneys have denied that.

The NYPD assessment said the killing of Kirk could likewise inspire others.

“Regardless of motive, this incident has, and likely will continue to, resonate with a wide range of violent extremists in perceived justifications and calls for further violence. Additionally, the high-profile nature of this assassination will likely be amplified in propaganda messaging and heavily exploited by malicious actors as well as adversarial nation-states in mis/dis/mal-information aimed at fomenting division,” the assessment said.

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(NEW YORK) — Former Southern District of New York prosecutor Maurene Comey alleged in a lawsuit Monday that her ouster from the U.S. Attorney’s office was “unlawful and unconstitutional” and likely happened because of who her father is.

Comey, who prosecuted high profile defendants including Sean Combs, Robert Hadden, Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, was fired in July. 

Her lawsuit said President Donald Trump, the Justice Department, Attorney General Pam Bondi and other defendants did not identify a cause or provide her due process.

“In truth, there is no legitimate explanation. Rather, Defendants fired Ms. Comey solely or substantially because her father is former FBI Director James B. Comey, or because of her perceived political affiliation and beliefs, or both,” the lawsuit said.

“The politically motivated termination of Ms. Comey — ostensibly under “Article II of the Constitution” — upends bedrock principles of our democracy and justice system. Assistant United States Attorneys like Ms. Comey must do their jobs without fearing or favoring any political party or perspective, guided solely by the law, the facts, and the pursuit of justice,” the lawsuit said.

Comey said she had just been assigned a high-profile public corruption case when she received an email on July 16 at 4:57 p.m. with a memo informing her that “your employment with the Department of Justice is hereby terminated, and you are removed from federal service effective immediately.”

According to the lawsuit, Comey’s supervisors “were visibly shocked and upset,” and Jay Clayton, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, provided no explanation.

“All I can say is it came from Washington. I can’t tell you anything else,” the lawsuit quoted Clayton as telling Comey. 

Comey’s attorneys said the president lacks the authority to fire ordinary federal prosecutors, who are career civil servants, for perceived disloyalty. 

“Neither the President nor the Department of Justice have unlimited authority to remove Assistant United States Attorneys,” the lawsuit said.

Comey is seeking reinstatement along with back pay.

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(Orem, UTAH) — The suspect arrested in the fatal shooting Charlie Kirk had an “obsession” with the conservative influencer, based on the alleged shooter’s digital footprint, FBI Co-Deputy Director Dan Bongino said Monday on Fox News.

Tyler Robinson, a 22-year-old Utah native, is accused of fatally shooting Kirk during an event at Utah Valley University on Aug. 10.

Bongino said the suspect appeared to have exhibited “multiple warning signs.”

“I believe co-workers stated he had detached himself when the topic of politics came up and walked away,” Bongino said on Fox News.

Bongino said they are looking into whether anyone knew the shooting could happen and didn’t alert authorities, referring to online chats Robinson allegedly had about Kirk.

“Did they … hear it and think it was a joke? That is what we’re trying to find out now,” he told Fox News. “If there is a larger network here, we will get that out to the public as soon as we can.”

FBI Director Kash Patel also announced on “Fox & Friends” that DNA found at the crime scene, specifically the towel wrapped around the firearm used in the shooting, and on a screwdriver, links Robinson to the killing of the conservative influencer.

Robinson was arrested last week for felony discharge of a firearm, aggravated murder and obstruction of justice, according to probable cause documents, and was booked into the Utah County Jail.

Charging documents against Robison are expected to be filed early this week, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said on Friday.

Robinson was apprehended after his father recognized him in photographs released by authorities, Cox said on Friday. His father told Robinson to turn himself in, with the 22-year-old initially saying no, but later changing his mind, officials said.

The father then called a youth pastor, who is also a U.S. Marshals task force officer. The officer advised the father to have Robinson stay in place. This information was then conveyed to the FBI.

Cox thanked Robinson’s family, who “did the right thing.”

Investigators also interviewed a family member of Robinson who said the suspect had “become more political in recent years,” Cox said.

In a recent incident the family member detailed to investigators, Robinson came to dinner and in a conversation with another family member he mentioned Kirk was coming to Utah Valley University. They talked about why they didn’t like him and his viewpoints.

President Donald Trump, who announced Friday on “Fox & Friends” that the suspected shooter was in custody, said Robinson should get the death penalty.

“In Utah, you have death penalty, and a good governor there, I have gotten to know him,” Trump said of Cox. “The governor is intent on the death penalty in this case and he should be.”

Before the arrest of the alleged shooter, officials said they had obtained “good” video footage of the individual and were able to track the movements of the suspect.

On the day of the shooting at approximately 11:52 a.m., the suspect arrived on the Orem campus and then proceeded to travel through the stairwells up to the roof of the building near where the outdoor event was taking place, before the suspect fired down at Kirk, Utah Department of Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason said last week.

Kirk was hit by a single shot at approximately 12:20 p.m. and taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, authorities said.

After the shooting, the suspect traveled to the other side of the building, jumped off and fled off-campus into a neighborhood, Mason said.

On Friday, Erika Kirk, the conservative commentator’s wife, said “no one will ever forget my husband’s name.”

“You have no idea the fire that you have ignited within this wife, the cries of this widow will echo around the world like a battle cry,” Erika Kirk said on Friday in her first public message since her husband’s death.

ABC News’ Luke Barr contributed to this report.

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(NEW YORK) — A Utah man is facing terrorism charges after being arrested for placing an incendiary device under a news media vehicle in Salt Lake City, according to authorities.

Adeeb Nasir, 58, of Magna, Utah, was arrested Sunday on suspicion of placing the explosive device, which was lit but “failed to function,” according to police.

On Friday, Salt Lake City Police Bomb Squad and Unified Fire Authority Arson/Bomb Squad responded to a suspicious device placed underneath a news media vehicle parked next to an occupied building, which was found to be real.

Nasir faces nine charges, including two counts of weapon of mass destruction and two counts of threat of terrorism.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) assumed primary jurisdiction over the investigation and served a federal search warrant at the residence on Saturday with the help of local authorities’ bomb squads.

“The FBI discovered what appeared to be potentially hazardous materials that could pose a threat to public safety,” the FBI said in a statement to ABC News.

After the FBI’s initial investigation, two suspects were associated with the incident and both resided at the same residence where the search warrant was served.

The second individual was listed as Adil in Nasir’s probable cause summary, and arrest documents have not been found at this time. The relationship of the two individuals has not been released.

“The initial FBI search warrant authorized the seizure of evidence specifically related to the incendiary devices,” documents said.

Squad members cleared the home and found two hoax weapons of mass destruction inside, along with two firearms and illegal narcotics.

Neighboring homes were evacuated during the search due to the explosives found.

There was no information about a possible motive.

Nasir was booked into Salt Lake County Jail and ordered to be held without bail, according to documents.

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