Statement on case by U.S. Attorney Paul McNulty

Good Afternoon. I am Paul McNulty, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. With me today are:

David Szady, Assistant Director, Counter-Intelligence Division, FBI
onald Nesbitt, Special Agent in Charge for National Security Division, FBI
Lydia Jechoret, Supervisory Special Agent, FBI
Stephen Carr, Special Agent, FBI
Steve Doyle, US DOJ
Patricia Haynes, Assistant US Attorney, EDVA
Jim Gillis, Assistant US Attorney, EDVA
Colonel Debra Donahoo - Director or Counterintelligence - NRO
Two Conservation Officers from the Virginia Department of Conservation & Recreation:
David Summers and
Dan Quesenberry

We are here today to tell the full story of Brian Patrick Regan's betrayal of his country. We want you to see the magnitude of the damage this man was willing to inflict on his country and fellow citizens.

Regan was sentenced last Spring to spend the rest of his life in prison for attempting to sell national security information to our enemies. At the time, we were only able to describe his traitorous acts in general terms because we were still assessing the damage he would have caused if his betrayal was successful. The whereabouts of all the material he stole and buried away had not been identified.

Today we can now report that more than 20,000 pages of classified documents, CD ROMS and videotapes have been found. These materials were buried in 19 different locations in State Parks in Virginia and Maryland.

Just look at the volume of classified materials gathered here. Some is Top Secret; some is Top Secret Codeword. The documents and information concerned satellites, early warning systems, and weapons of mass destruction, among other classified topics. All of it pertains to the national security of the United States.

Brian Patrick Regan stole this material. He systematically removed thousands of pages of classified documents and other information from the National Reconnaissance Office, where he worked as a signals intelligence officer.

Regan admitted that he took those documents from the NRO with two objectives: To sell them for millions of dollars to Iraq, Libya, China and Iran, and
To blackmail the United States should he get caught.

The classified information that Brian Regan was carrying when he was arrested was only a fraction of what he intended to sell to our adversaries.

Fortunately, because of the extraordinary work of the FBI and the NRO, Regan was prevented from pulling off what may have been one of the largest espionage schemes of all time.

These two parks, the Pocohontas State Park in Virginia and the Patapsco Valley State Park in Maryland are used by thousands of American families every year. They were also used by Regan to hide the secrets he stole. He buried this information in 19 holes - 7 in Maryland and 12 in Virginia.

Regan used a complex coding system to record the locations of the buried packages. To further safeguard these locations, he buried the code containing the locations. We found that container - it was a tooth brush holder and it was buried near the "Fredricksburg" sign by exit 130A of Route 95 South.

Regan also went so far as to attempt to involve his wife in his crime. He asked her to bury a number of items, such as magazines and toys in a variety of places. His plan was to assert his innocense by saying the holes he dug in the parks were just part of a game of treasure hunt he planned to play with his children.

Over the last five months, the FBI and the NRO, along with other members of the intelligence community, have dedicated themselves to recovering these hidden classified documents, and they have done so.

In anticipation of two questions I am sure you will ask:

We are confident that every last page has been recovered.
And, we are also confident that none of the 20,000 pages of classified information, the CD ROMs or the videotapes ever made it to foreign hands.

As Trish Haynes and Jim Gillis so eloquently stated at trial, Brian Patrick Regan took an oath of loyalty to the United States. He was entrusted with many of our nation's most highly classified military secrets. Regan violated that trust. He dishonored his uniform. He was willing to compromise our military secrets, the safety of our armed forces, and the integrity of intelligence systems vital to the security of our country. And when he was caught, he was willing to blackmail the United States into setting him free.

Our successful prosecution of Brian Patrick Regan serves as a warning to anyone willing to try to betray our country - you will fail. The United States can and will protect the information relating to its national security, and the safety of the people of the United States, and you will pay the price for your betrayal.

Again, I want to commend the men and women who worked so hard to recover this material.