Passport snooping nets eighth guilty plea

WASHINGTON, Nov. 9 (UPI) -- An eighth former U.S. State Department employee pleaded guilty Monday to illegally accessing confidential passport files, the Justice Department said.

Susan Holloman, 58, of Washington pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Alan Kay in the District of Columbia to one count of unauthorized computer access.

In pleading guilty, Holloman admitted she had access to official State Department computer databases in the regular course of her job, including the passport application information.

Holloman admitted that for 10 months in 2007 she visited the passport application database, searching and viewing applications of 70 celebrities and their families, actors, professional athletes, musicians and other famous people, the Justice Department said. Holloman said she did it because of idle curiosity.

Holloman is the eighth current or former State Department employee or contractor to plead guilty in the investigation.