Ex-FBI Agent Pleads Guilty To Illegally Accessing Information On Hezbollah

Detroit, MI (AHN) - Nada Nadim Prouty, a 37-year-old Lebanese national and resident of Vienna, Va., pleaded guilty Tuesday 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, accessing a federal computer system to unlawfully query information about her relatives and the terrorist organization Hezbollah, and conspiracy to defraud the United States.

At a hearing in before the U.S. District Court Judge Avern Cohn, Prouty pleaded guilty to charges conspiracy, unauthorized computer access, and naturalization fraud. On all three counts, Prouty faces a combined maximum penalty is 16 years in prison and a maximum fine of $600,000, and requires the court to de-naturalize her.

"It is a sad day when one of our public servants breaches our security and trust," said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth L. Wainstein. "This defendant engaged in a pattern of deceit to secure U.S. citizenship, to gain employment in the intelligence community, and to obtain and exploit her access to sensitive counterterrorism intelligence. It is fitting that she now stands to lose both her citizenship and her liberty."

"We became aware of this compromise in December 2005 and moved to address any further damage,"said Willie T. Hulon, Executive Assistant Director of the FBI's National Security Branch. "The FBI worked closely with other agencies to investigate this matter. We continue to evaluate our security practices and will make any necessary changes."

According to documents filed in court by the government, Prouty entered the United States from Lebanon on June 24, 1989, on a one-year, non-immigrant student visa. After her visa expired, she remained in the country, residing in Taylor, Mich., with her sister, Elfat El Aouar, and an individual named Samar Khalil Nabbouth.

In order to remain in the United States and evade U.S. immigration laws, Prouty later offered money to an unemployed U.S. citizen to marry her. On Aug. 9, 1990, Prouty married the U.S. citizen. As planned, Prouty never lived with her fraudulent "husband," but continued to live with her sister and Nabbouth.

Using a series of false and forged documents, Prouty was granted U.S. citizenship in 1994 under the name "Nada Nadim Deladurantaye." She later divorced her "husband."

During parts of 1992, 1993, and 1994, Prouty worked for Talal Khalil Chahine, owner of a chain of Middle Eastern restaurants in Detroit. Chahine is a fugitive currently wanted for a series of crimes, including concealing some $20 million in cash and sending money to Lebanon.

In April 1999, using the name "Nada Nadim Alley" and her fraudulently obtained citizenship papers, Prouty was hired as a special agent of the FBI. She worked at our Washington field office on a squad that investigated crimes against U.S. persons overseas. She did not work on cases involving Hizballah.

In September 2000, after Prouty's sister married Chahine, Prouty used our computerized Automated Case System to improperly query information on herself, her sister, and her brother-in-law. In June 2003, she also used this system to get information on an investigation into Hizballah by our Detroit office.

In June 2003, Prouty left the FBI and was hired by the CIA, based on the background checks done by the FBI. She resigned that position on November 6.

Pursuant to the terms of her plea agreement, she has agreed to fully and truthfully cooperate with the CIA on any matters the CIA deems necessary to transition Prouty out of its employment in a manner consistent with safeguarding the national security of the United States. This cooperation includes participation in debriefing and polygraph interviews.