Thursday, July 19, 2007 Aquino, ex-PNP officer under Ping, pleads guilty to holding secret US papers
NEWARK, New Jersey – A former top Philippine National Police official was sentenced yesterday to six years and four months in prison for possessing secret US documents.
Michael Ray Aquino pleaded guilty in July 2006 in a deal that spared him a life term had he been convicted of espionage.
He admitted possessing secret documents containing information on the United States’ confidential intelligence sources and methods, as well as information on terrorist threats to US military personnel in the Philippines.
His co-conspirator, a former FBI intelligence analyst who worked under two US vice presidents, could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison for passing secret US documents in an effort to topple the Philippine government.
Leandro Aragoncillo, 48, who worked as a military aide to vice presidents Al Gore and Dick Cheney before joining the FBI as a civilian employee at Fort Monmouth, pleaded guilty to four charges in May 2006.
The most serious charge, conspiracy to transmit national defense information, can carry the death penalty. But under his plea agreement, Aragoncillo faces 15 to 20 years in prison.
Both cases were handled by US District Judge William H. Walls.
Prosecutors said Ara-goncillo, who entered the vice president’s office in 1999, was recruited in 2000 by opposition forces and began working with Aquino in early 2005.
Aragoncillo admitted passing information to Aquino and opposition politicians in his homeland who wanted to oust President Arroyo. Aragoncillo is a naturalized US citizen who was born in the Philippines.
Documents
The plot involved the theft of classified national defense documents from the White House and the FBI.
Recipients included former president Joseph Estrada, who was ousted six years ago; Panfilo Lacson, an opposition senator; and former House Speaker Arnulfo Fuente-bella, according to court documents.
Estrada and Lacson have acknowledged receiving information from Aquino or Aragoncillo, but denied any wrongdoing.
Aquino was once a senior officer under Lacson in the Philippine National Police. He fled to the United States to escape murder charges in 2001 and lived with his wife and son in the New York City borough of Queens. After serving his prison term, he is likely to be deported.
Aquino and Aragoncillo were arrested in September 2005.
In Manila, Department of Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez Sr. said he will ask the US Governmentto furnish him copies of documents used as evidence against Aquino.
Gonzalez said they will be building up a case against “unindicted Filipino co-conspirators.”
Liable
“We (will be) looking at the entire records of his case. I will write to the US Department of State to furnish us specific documents because of the fact that these are on record that some Filipino unindicted co-conspirators were named clearly in the documents,” he told reporters yesterday.
Gonzalez said the co-conspirators may be held liable for violation of Philippine laws on espionage or even sedition.
“They may have damaged the Republic by exposing matters which are confidential in character, affected our defense situation or even the stability of the State itself,” he said.
Others who admitted receiving emails from Aragoncillo include Estrada’s sons, Senator Jose “Jinggoy” and San Juan Mayor Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito and Senator Aquilino Pimentel Jr. (AP/with Sunnex)
