Espionage Fears “Ludicrous” in Los Alamos Data Scandal, Busted Drug Dealer Says
A 20-year-old drug dealer said he has no knowledge of the information stored on computer memory devices from a nuclear weapons laboratory that were discovered when he was recently arrested in New Mexico, the Associated Press reported Saturday (see GSN, Oct. 26).
Authorities seized three USB flash drives during a search of the mobile home where Justin Stone was arrested Oct. 20 on drug and parole violation charges. At least some of the drives contained classified information from the Los Alamos Nuclear Laboratory, facility Director Michael Anastasio confirmed Thursday.
“I don’t know who to sell that kind of information to,” Stone, who remains jailed, told AP. “I don’t know who would be interested in that kind of stuff.”
The mobile home belongs to 22-year-old Jessica Quintana, a former employee of a laboratory contractor. So far, she has faced no charges as the investigation continues, AP reported.
“I’m pretty sure she had nothing to do with this,” said Stone, who rented a room in the home.
One of the three flash drives was his, Stone said, adding that he received it as part of a $20 drug deal within the past few weeks. The man who gave the drive to Stone had “no relationship to the lab whatsoever,” Stone said. He said that he had not checked what was on the drive before the raid.
Stone said he knew nothing about the other two drives, although he said Quintana used to have a flash drive on her key chain.
Stone, an admitted methamphetamine addict and drug dealer, said the people in Quintana’s trailer were “just worried about their next fix.”
“For somebody that is addicted to meth to even think about stealing lab secrets and selling them is just totally ludicrous,” he said. “You won’t find any addicted methamphetamine user out there that could spell plutonium.”
“People are making this out to be a big Wen Ho Lee conspiracy, when it’s really not,” Stone said, referring to the former Los Alamos scientist who was the focus of a major espionage investigation in the late 1990s before all major charges against him were dropped (see GSN, Jan. 4, 2002).
“I was at the wrong place at the wrong time,” Stone said (Deborah Baker, Associated Press, Oct. 28).
Authorities seized three USB flash drives during a search of the mobile home where Justin Stone was arrested Oct. 20 on drug and parole violation charges. At least some of the drives contained classified information from the Los Alamos Nuclear Laboratory, facility Director Michael Anastasio confirmed Thursday.
“I don’t know who to sell that kind of information to,” Stone, who remains jailed, told AP. “I don’t know who would be interested in that kind of stuff.”
The mobile home belongs to 22-year-old Jessica Quintana, a former employee of a laboratory contractor. So far, she has faced no charges as the investigation continues, AP reported.
“I’m pretty sure she had nothing to do with this,” said Stone, who rented a room in the home.
One of the three flash drives was his, Stone said, adding that he received it as part of a $20 drug deal within the past few weeks. The man who gave the drive to Stone had “no relationship to the lab whatsoever,” Stone said. He said that he had not checked what was on the drive before the raid.
Stone said he knew nothing about the other two drives, although he said Quintana used to have a flash drive on her key chain.
Stone, an admitted methamphetamine addict and drug dealer, said the people in Quintana’s trailer were “just worried about their next fix.”
“For somebody that is addicted to meth to even think about stealing lab secrets and selling them is just totally ludicrous,” he said. “You won’t find any addicted methamphetamine user out there that could spell plutonium.”
“People are making this out to be a big Wen Ho Lee conspiracy, when it’s really not,” Stone said, referring to the former Los Alamos scientist who was the focus of a major espionage investigation in the late 1990s before all major charges against him were dropped (see GSN, Jan. 4, 2002).
“I was at the wrong place at the wrong time,” Stone said (Deborah Baker, Associated Press, Oct. 28).
posted by Marko at 10/31/2006 07:42:00 AM
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