Army translator sentenced to 10 years

WASHINGTON, May 19 (UPI) -- A U.S. Army translator has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for unauthorized possession of classified defense documents, the Justice Department said Monday.

The sentence also covers the contract translator's using a false identity to get his U.S. citizenship and gain access to classified military material, the Justice Department said in a news release. In addition, the court stripped the defendant of his U.S. citizenship because of his conviction for unlawfully getting his citizenship.

The defendant -- who goes by various names including Abdulhakeem Nour, Abu Hakim, Noureddine Malki, Almaliki Nour and Almalik Nour Eddin -- pleaded guilty in February 2007 to unauthorized possession of classified documents. He pleaded guilty to false identity in December 2005.

The defendant used a false identity in gaining a position as an Arabic translator for the L-3 Titan Corp., which provides translation services in Iraq for U.S. military personnel, the department said. He used the ID to get "Secret" and then "Top Secret" security clearances, and then removed classified documents from the U.S. Army without authorization.

"Those who would compromise military plans and intelligence will be met with aggressive investigation and prosecution," said U.S. Attorney Benton J. Campbell.