Former CIA analyst pleads guilty to leaking Israeli retaliation plans
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(WASHINGTON) — A former CIA analyst arrested in November and charged with leaking highly classified records showing Israeli plans to launch a retaliatory strike on Iran pleaded guilty Friday in a federal court in Virginia.
Asif Rahman, 34, pleaded guilty to two counts of transmission of national defense information, according to court records.
Rahman faces up to 10 years in prison for the first count and up to three years for the second count. His sentencing was set for May 15.
Rahman admitted to accessing and printing out two documents regarding Israel’s retaliatory strike plans on Oct. 17 and transporting them to his residence, where he later uploaded images of them and provided them to “multiple individuals he knew were not entitled to receive them,” according to the plea agreement.
He later took various steps to try and conceal his involvement in the leak, even as authorities were able to track him down remarkably quickly given he was the only individual found to have printed out the documents, according to logs reviewed by investigators.
Rahman was arrested in Cambodia and later brought to Guam, according to the charging documents.
Rahman, a U.S. citizen, worked as an employee for the CIA starting in 2016.
In the days after the disclosure, Rahman deleted “approximately 1.5 gigabytes” of data from his personal folder in the Top Secret system, including scores of highly classified materials he had downloaded over the years — largely relating to the Middle East, according to prosecutors.
(NEW YORK) — Nearly 43 million people are under red flag warnings across eight states as the fire danger remains elevated in the Northeast.
Relative humidity as low as 20% coupled with wind gusts up to 40 mph could help accelerate the spread of any fires.
While Sunday brings a slight improvement in fire weather conditions, the overall fire risk will continue into next week across much of the Northeast.
There is no measurable rain in the forecast for the next several days in this area, although there are some signs that much-needed rain may arrive in the region late Wednesday into Thursday. At this point, it doesn’t look like a complete soaker, but any bit of rain will help.
The lack of rainfall will only exacerbate the moderate to extreme drought conditions across the area.
Storm out west
In the Pacific Northwest, a strong storm system will be moving onshore this weekend, bringing periods of rain and significant mountain snow.
Winter alerts are in effect for much of the Cascades and northern Rockies, covering portions of six states from Washington to Utah. At least 1 to 2 feet of snow is possible in the mountains, especially above 2,000 feet in elevation.
Severe threat to Texas
A new storm will be forming in the Southern Plains on Sunday, bringing a severe weather potential to portions of Texas.
Both Sunday and Monday have a slight risk for severe storms with damaging winds, large hail, and isolated tornadoes.
Tropical Storm Sara
Tropical Storm Sara has been drenching much of Honduras over the last couple of days, with an increasing threat for mudslides and potentially catastrophic flash flooding. Rainfall amounts of 15 to 25 inches are expected, with localized amounts up to 35 inches due to this slow-moving storm.
Sara is forecast to drift across Belize and the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico, dissipating into a remnant trough by early Monday.
The threat of this storm redeveloping into a tropical system in the Gulf of Mexico is slim due to unfavorable conditions, so a U.S. landfall from this tropical system is not likely at all.
There will be some impacts to the U.S. in the form of tropical moisture being fed into passing front, leading to a good chance for heavy rain along the Gulf Coast and into Florida on Tuesday and Wednesday.
(NEW YORK) — International consulting firm McKinsey & Company agreed Friday to resolve criminal charges with federal prosecutors in two states for its role in helping Purdue Pharma boost sales of OxyContin and other opioid painkillers, fueling an addiction epidemic.
McKinsey agreed to pay $650 million as part of a deferred prosecution agreement, according to court documents filed Friday.
As part of the agreement, McKinsey will “not do any work related to the marketing, sale, promotion or distribution of controlled substances” and will not contest the facts of the government’s criminal charges.
Those agreed-upon facts said McKinsey “knew the risks and dangers associated with OxyContin” but “designed strategies to help Purdue Pharma” to “turbocharge” OxyContin prescriptions.
“This included a strategy to identify which current OxyContin prescribers would likely generate the greatest number of additional prescriptions if called on by Purdue Pharma’s sales force,” court records said.
During a six year period from 2012-2018, McKinsey “knowingly and intentionally conspired with Purdue Pharma L.P. and others to aid and abet the misbranding of prescription drugs, held for sale after shipment in interstate commerce, without valid prescriptions,” according to the charging document that had been filed jointly by the United States Attorney’s offices for the District of Massachusetts and the Western District of Virginia.
McKinsey was charged with conspiracy to defraud the U.S. and with destroying documents.
In 2019, McKinsey said it would no longer advise clients on opioid-related businesses.
The company reached a $573 million agreement in 2021 with attorneys general in 47 states who said the company worked to drive sales of opioids, contributing to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Americans.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(SANTA CRUZ, Calif.) — A powerful storm pummeling the West Coast churned up waves as high as 60 feet, killing one man, sweeping another out to sea and prompting multiple rescues when a pier collapsed in Santa Cruz, California, authorities said.
A series of storms leading into Christmas are expected to continue to pound the West Coast on Tuesday with heavy rain, gusty winds and giant ocean waves.
On Monday, the wild weather turned deadly in Santa Cruz when a large wave hit a man, trapping him beneath debris at a beach, according to the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office.
The death unfolded around 11:30 a.m. local time at Sunset State Beach in Santa Cruz, about 75 miles south of San Francisco. First responders managed to pull the man from the water, but he was later pronounced dead at a hospital, the sheriff’s office said. The man’s name was not immediately released.
The storm also caused the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf pier to partially collapse, according to the sheriff’s office. Three men, all members of a city crew working on the pier at the time, were thrown into the ocean, according to the sheriff’s office.
Lifeguards sprang into action and rescued two of the men, while the third worker swam to shore on his own. None of the men were seriously injured, according to Santa Cruz Mayor Fred Keeley.
The incident lopped off a 150-foot section at the end of the pier, which was undergoing a $4 million restoration. Large chunks of the pier were left floating in the water.
Video showed one worker stranded on a piece of the pier floating in the water being rescued by a first responder on a jet ski.
The sheriff’s office also issued an evacuation order Monday afternoon for oceanfront residents along an approximately 3-mile stretch of shoreline just south of Santa Cruz, citing large swells and high tides.
The National Weather Service in the Bay Area warned that “dangerous and life-threatening beach conditions” are forecast for along the Pacific Coast through Tuesday, including rough seas and breaking waves up to 60 feet.
A separate rescue attempt occurred Monday near Monterey, where authorities believe high surf likely pulled a man into the ocean. The incident happened at Marina State Beach along the Monterey Bay around noon, according to the Marina Police Department.
“Bystanders attempted to assist the individual; however, due to extremely large waves and strong currents, their rescue efforts were unsuccessful,” police said in a statement.
Marina police officers, firefighters, U.S. Coast Guard and the California Highway Patrol launched an extensive search for the man using boats and aircraft, but were forced to suspend the rescue operation when weather conditions became too dangerous, police said. The man, who was not immediately identified, remained missing Tuesday morning.
At the time of the search, the National Weather Service estimated waves in the Santa Cruz area to be 25 to 50 feet, according to police.
High surf warnings were issued up and down the West Coast from Washington to Southern California.
The Santa Cruz Sheriff’s office said first responders also made water rescues in a harbor near Capitola, about 4 miles south of Santa Cruz.
ABC News’ Meredith Deliso and Julia Jacobo contributed to this report.
