Top-Secret National Defense Files Taken By Tampa Man: U.S. Attorney

TAMPA, FL — A retired Air Force lieutenant colonel living in Tampa has pleaded guilty to taking sensitive files containing national defense secrets.

Robert L. Birchum, 55, of Tampa pleaded guilty in federal court in Tampa.

According to the plea agreement, Birchum, who retired in 2018 as a lieutenant colonel in the United States Air Force, served in various positions in intelligence, including duties requiring him to work with classified intelligence information for the Joint Special Operations Command, the Special Operations Command and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

While he was on active duty, Birchum entered into several agreements with the United States regarding the protection and proper handling of classified information. In 2017, however, law enforcement officers discovered that Birchum had removed more than 300 classified files, including more than 30 items marked "Top Secret," and took them home, to his overseas officer’s quarters and to a storage pod in his driveway, according to the plea agreement.

Two documents on a thumb drive found in his home contained information related to the National Security Agency’s capabilities and methods of determining vulnerable targets, according to the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations. Both documents were classified as Top Secret/SCI. The Office of Special Investigations said the unauthorized release of these documents could cause irreparable damage to the country's national security.

Birchum faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

Birchum has also agreed to surrender certain computer equipment that contained classified information.