A former Army officer and lawyer pleaded guilty this week to destroying online military training material and lying to federal investigators.
Manfredo Madrigal, 38, had been assigned to the Army’s Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School in Charlottesville, Virginia. According to court documents, his responsibilities included designing and developing training products for the Army and its JAG Corps.
Army officials said he possessed a security clearance and previously served overseas on sensitive operations.
In early 2022, Mr. Madrigal was being investigated for failing to report a previous conviction for driving under the influence. During the inquiry, he filmed himself deleting the JAG training documents while describing his ill will toward the Army, officials said.
“The FBI investigation also revealed that Madrigal made a phone call to the Russian Embassy in Washington, D.C., the same night he deleted the training materials and then texted a witness that Russia wanted to know what he knew,” according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlottesville.
Mr. Madrigal was discharged from the Army in February 2022 and claimed in his exit paperwork that he had no contact with a foreign national. The FBI later interviewed him and concluded that he made “multiple false statements regarding his actions,” federal prosecutors said.
He denied any involvement in the deletion of sensitive documents and in making contact with a foreign national at the Russian Embassy, officials said.
On Wednesday, he pleaded guilty to one count of destruction of Army property and three counts of making a false statement. Sentencing in the case is pending.
• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.
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