Accused DEA data-thief skips bail

The Register 12 Feb 2002

By Kevin Poulsen

Federal agents in Los Angeles are searching for a 12-year veteran of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) who last week skipped out on felony charges of illegally selling sensitive information about private citizens from law enforcement computers, SecurityFocus has learned.

"He's a fugitive," said Thom Mrozek, a spokesman for the Los Angeles U.S. Attorney's office on Friday. "He was out on bail, he made all of his appearances... Then he didn't show up for trial."

Emilio Calatayud, 35, had been free on a $100,000 property bond since January, 2001, when prosecutors charged him with wire fraud, bribery, and violation of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act for allegedly selling criminal history and law enforcement information to private investigations firm Triple Check Investigative Services in Los Angeles.

The purloined data allegedly came from three law enforcement computers to which Calatayud had otherwise lawful access: the FBI's National Crime Information Center (NCIC), which maintains nationwide records on arrest histories, convictions and warrants; the California Law Enforcement Telecommunications System (CLETS), a state network that gives agents access to California motor vehicle records, rap sheets and fingerprints; and a DEA system called the Narcotics and Dangerous Drug Information System (NADDIS), described by a Justice Department web page as a database of "over 3,500,000 individuals, businesses, vessels and selected airfields."

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Read the entire article at SecurityFocus.com