"There's no room for error in this new kind of world conflict."
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November 23, 2007
Shame on the Federal Bureau of Investigation. For a national crime fighting organization with a reputation as a top notch law enforcement agency, how in the world could a foreign national not only get employed with the bureau, but be given security clearance?
Someone in the department not only dropped the ball, but scored for the other team in the case of Nada Nadim Prouty - and the other team could be a terrorist organization.
Prouty, 37, pleaded guilty last week in the Eastern District of Michigan to charges of fraudulently obtaining U.S. citizenship, which she later used to gain employment at the FBI and CIA.
But it doesn't end there.
She also pleaded guilty to accessing a federal computer system to unlawfully query information about her relatives and the terrorist organization Hezbollah; as well as conspiracy to defraud the United States.
Prouty is the sister-in-law of Talal Khalil Chahine, owner of the La Shish restaurant chain. He is charged, along with his wife, Elfat El Aouar, Prouty's sister, with four counts each of income tax evasion. Allegedly, they kept two sets of computerized books and records to conceal more than $16 million in cash received by the restaurants in the 2000-03 tax years.
To evade government scrutiny, authorities said El Aouar and Chahine converted the cash into small denominations and cashier's checks to transport the money to Lebanon. Prosecutors also said La Shish employees were paid in cash to avoid taxes. Prouty reportedly worked in the La Shish restaurant chain in Metro Detroit.
A former Michigan resident, Prouty reportedly used false and forged documents to obtain U.S. citizenship and then used the papers to obtain employment as a special agent of the FBI.
She reportedly used the FBI's computerized Automated Case System, without authorization, to query her own name, her sister's name and that of Chahine.
Frightening doesn't really describe this situation. It's mind-boggling to think about what information Prouty could have accessed.
Officials have said there's no evidence that Prouty was working as a spy on Hezbollah's behalf. What does that mean? That they just haven't found any evidence yet?
U.S. Attorney Stephen J. Murphy has said, "This case highlights the importance of conducting stringent and thorough background investigations..."
That is an understatement.
We know nobody is perfect and that even in the most efficient, well-run organization, mistakes are made.
But we're talking about national security here and the "War on Terrorism." There's no room for error in this new kind of world conflict.
Who knows what damage Prouty could have done or, for that matter, has done.
Obviously, the FBI needs to reevaluate ALL of its procedures and determine how someone like Frouty could have been hired as an employee.
Then, it needs to extensively tighten up its protocols to ensure that such individuals as Frouty are never employed.
There's a war going on and right now, it's hard to say who is winning. If there are other "Froutys" in the FBI and CIA, the prognosis doesn't look good.
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