A federal employee from Nevada has pleaded guilty to mishandling classified materials, according to reports.
Margaret Anne Ashby, a 26-year-old resident of Henderson, has pleaded guilty to a charge of mishandling documents. The charge stems from her time as a former employee of a Department of Defense component agency.
Starting in March 2020, Ashby worked as an employee for the component agency located in southern Georgia, according to a plea agreement. During this time, Ashby held a top secret security clearance.
According to the DOJ, Ashby is accused of intentionally removing classified documents and materials without permission from February 2022 to May 2022. These materials are said to pertain to the national defense or foreign relations of the United States. The DOJ further alleges that Ashby intended to keep these documents at unauthorized locations, including her residence in the Southern District of Georgia and digital files saved on a personal computing device in the same district.
Ashby has not yet been given a sentencing date, but if convicted, she could potentially be sentenced to up to five years in prison and three years of parole. Additionally, she may be subject to significant financial penalties.
