An FBI employee went rogue, reportedly travelling to Syria to marry the man she was investigating.
Daniela Greene, 38, was a translator with top-secret clearance in Detroit, CNN reports. According to unsealed FBI documents, she began investigating German Denis Cusper, a rapper who became an Islamic State recruiter in January 2014.
Cusper, identified in the documents only as Individual A, had appeared in promotional videos where he praised Osama bin Laden, and threatened former president Barack Obama. Before becoming a recruiter, he was known as Deso Dogg, once opening for DMX.
READ MORE: Israel’s security crucial to Canada’s anti-ISIS strategy: Chrystia Freeland
During her investigation, the documents say she fell in love with Cusper. She then told the FBI she was travelling to Germany to see her family, but instead, snuck off to Syria.
She then told Cusper, “The FBI had an open investigation into his activities,” according to court records also obtained by USA Today.
But only a few weeks into her marriage, she had a change of heart, and returned to the U.S. to confess her crimes.
In December 2014, she pleaded guilty to making a false statement involving international terrorism, and spent two years in jail.
Despite calling her conduct “egregious,” and saying she deserved a “severe punishment,” prosecutors agreed to give her a lighter sentence because of her co-operation. CNN reports that longer sentences have been given to people who hadn’t even made it to Syria.
- Canadian-Israeli citizen dead in Egypt, local authorities say probe is open
- Cruise ship worker arrested, accused of stabbing 3 people with scissors
- Siblings, ages 2 and 4, die after being swept away by river in California
- RFK Jr. said worm ate part of his brain, died inside his head: 2012 deposition
READ MORE: U.S. forces kill ISIS militant linked to New Year’s Eve attack on Turkish nightclub
The court records were kept secret, but quietly unsealed in May 2015. They were only uncovered by CNN recently.
“Daniela is a smart but naïve woman who got into something that was way over her head,” lawyer Shawn Moore told the Detroit Free Press.
Greene told CNN she was afraid of discussing the case publicly: “If I talk to you, my family will be in danger.”
The FBI said Greene’s case forced them to take steps to “identify and reduce security vulnerabilities. The FBI continues to strengthen protective measures in carrying out its vital work,” according to CNN.
Comments