TAMPA, Fla. — A former United States Air Force Lieutenant Colonel faces up to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to unlawfully possessing and retaining classified documents related to the national defense of the U.S.
According to U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg, Lieutenant Colonel Robert Birchum, 55, of Tampa, was discovered to have removed more than 300 classified files or documents, including more than 30 marked top secret, and taken them to his home, overseas officer's quarters, and a storage pod in his driveway.
The U.S. Attorney's Office said Birchum knew none of the locations were authorized to store classified national defense information. Among the documents found were ones that "contained information relating to the National Security Agency's capabilities and methods of collection, and targets' vulnerabilities.
The case comes as a special prosecutor continues examining President Donald Trump for having classified documents in his home and refusing to return them. President Biden and Vice President Mike Pence have also voluntarily allowed searches of their homes for classified information, and a few classified documents have been found.
A sentencing date for Birchum has not been set. The maximum penalty is ten years in federal prison.
