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According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida, Paul J. Freeman, 68, of Niceville, has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of unauthorized possession and transmission of classified national defense information.
According to the indictment, Freeman allegedly transmitted classified information regarding United States Air Force aircraft and weapons to unauthorized individuals between November 2020 and March 2021. If convicted, Freeman could face up to ten years on each of the nine counts he faces, again – according to the release.
A detention hearing is scheduled for Monday, July 1, 2024, at 1:00 PM at the U.S. Courthouse in Pensacola. U.S. Magistrate Judge Zachary Bolito will preside over the proceedings. A detention hearing, similar to a bond hearing in a state or local court, takes place so a Federal magistrate can listen to the U.S. Attorney’s and the defendant’s arguments concerning whether or not to allow a defendant to be released on bond pending a trial.
The Air Force Office of Special Investigations (OSI) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) brought the case against Freeman.
Prosecutors include Assistant U.S. Attorney David L. Goldberg for the Northern District of Florida, Senior Trial Attorney Heather M. Schmidt, and Trial Attorney Yifei Zheng of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.
The release adds that an indictment is not evidence of guilt but indicates that a grand jury believes sufficient evidence warrants a trial. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court, where the government must demonstrate their guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices serving as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General.
For public court documents, visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. More information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, can be found at http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
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