FBI Arrests DIA Employee

Van A. Harp, Assistant Director of the FBI's Washington Field Office, Roscoe C. Howard, Jr., United States Attorney for the District of Columbia and Michael Chertoff, Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division, today announced the arrest of ANA BELEN MONTES, 44, of Washington, DC. Ms. Montes, an employee of the Defense Intelligence Agency, is charged in a FBI complaint with conspiracy to deliver U.S. national defense information to Cuba in violation of Title 18 United States Code section 794(c). She will appear in US District Court in Washington later today.

FBI agents arrested Montes this morning without incident at her office at the DIA headquarters located at Bolling Air Force Base in Washington. She has been employed by the DIA as an analyst since 1985.

In addition to Montes' arrest, the FBI has obtained four US District Court search warrants: one for her residence at 3039 Macomb St., N.W., in the District; one for her car; one for her office at the DIA and for her safe-deposit box at the Riggs Bank, 4249 Wisconsin Ave., NW

Mr. Harp, Mr. Howard and Mr. Chertoff thanked the men and women of the DIA's Counter Intelligence and Security Office for their complete cooperation in this matter.

For more information, please contact SA Chris Murray, FBI, at 202-278-3519 or Assistant US Attorney Monty Wilkinson, at 202-307-6045. A copy of the FBI complaint is available.