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US Federal Jury Indicts Former Homeland Security Inspector General for Software Theft

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - A federal grand jury indicted a former acting Inspector General at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and an aide on charges of stealing DHS software and databases with sensitive information in a scheme to defraud the US government, the Justice Department said in a press release on Friday.
Sputnik
"The indictment charges Charles K. Edwards, 59, of Sandy Spring, Maryland, and Murali Yamazula Venkata, 54, of Aldie, Virginia, with conspiracy to commit theft of government property and to defraud the United States, theft of government property, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft. The indictment also charges Venkata with the destruction of records", the release said.

Edwards allegedly stole personally-identifying information of DHS and US Postal Service employees as part of a scheme for Edwards’ company, Delta Business Solutions, to sell an enhanced version of the DHS software to the Agriculture Department for a profit, the release said.

To modify the software for resale, Edwards hired code writers in India to help produce an alternative commercial version, the release added.

Although Edwards left DHS in December 2013, he continued to work with Venkata and other DHS employees in the Office of Inspector General to obtain the materials. The theft took place from October 2014 to April 2017, according to the release.

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