A former U.S. Navy chief petty officer has been court-martialed and sentenced to 18 years in a military prison for attempted espionage and violating orders, according to the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS). It is the latest in a series of high-profile spying cases involving Navy personnel, and by far the most serious prison sentence. 

In January, Chief Fire Controlman (Aegis) Bryce Steven Pedicini was charged with multiple counts of attempted espionage for mishandling or disclosing classified information. 

Pedicini was a former destroyer crewmember who worked on the Aegis combat system, the Navy’s premier integrated radar and weapons control platform. The technology is closely held, and shared only with America’s closest military allies. Top-end Aegis variants can target ballistic missiles in mid-flight, and in his LinkedIn biography, Pedicini described himself as a “ballistic missile computer technician.”

In 2022, while assigned to the Mid-Atlantic Regional Maintenance Center (MARMAC) in Norfolk, Pedicini allegedly passed classified documents to an “employee and national of a foreign government” seven times, operating under the pretense of writing “research papers” for a private party. According to NCIS, a “research paper” consulting request is a tactic used often by America’s foreign adversaries to pay servicemembers to give up classified national defense information.  

In 2023, while assigned to the destroyer USS Higgins at Yokosuka, Pedicini allegedly entered a secure information room aboard a Navy barge with a personal electronic device. He then allegedly tried to transfer photographs of a high-security computer screen to a foreign government employee. 

Pedicini was arrested shortly after this event and court-martialed in January 2024. Last month, he was convicted of charges under Article 103a (Attempted Espionage), Article 92 (Failure to Obey a General Order), and Article 80 (Attempted Violation of a General Order). He has now been sentenced to 18 years in prison, plus a dishonorable discharge and reduction in rank to E-1. 

“This sentence holds Mr. Pedicini to account for his betrayal of his country and fellow service members,” said NCIS Director Omar Lopez in a statement. “The criminal act by this lone individual should not diminish the incredible sacrifices made by our service members and their families on a daily basis to protect our nation.”

A fourth charge (communication of defense information) is still subject to an appeal, but NCIS does not expect the outcome to affect Pedicini’s sentence.

Source: Maritime-Executive

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David McCallum – the British actor who played as Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard, a pathologist on hit CBS TV program NCIS, has died aged 90 on Monday (25/09/2023). McCallum died on Monday of natural causes, surrounded by his family, at New York Presbyterian Hospital, CBS said in a statement.

NCIS executive producers Steven D. Binder and David North shared their memories of working with McCallum. “For over twenty years, David McCallum endeared himself to audiences around the world playing the wise, quirky, and sometimes enigmatic, Dr. Donald ‘Ducky’ Mallard,” they shared in a statement. “But as much as his fans may have loved him, those who worked side by side with David loved him that much more. He was a scholar and a gentleman, always gracious, a consummate professional, and never one to pass up a joke.” 

McCallum has been active in the world of acting since the 50s. The Scottish-born actor was a gifted actor and author and beloved around the world. “He led an incredible life, and his legacy will forever live on through his family and the countless hours on film and television that will never go away.”

His role in The Man from U.N.C.L.E. – in which he played a Russian agent – won him many fans, particularly young women charmed by his good looks. The series ended in 1968, but not before he received several Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for playing the role of Illya Kuryakin on the show.

McCallum found roles in films including The Great Escape, The Greatest Story Ever Told, and A Night to Remember. He also guest starred on TV series Perry Mason and The Outer Limits.

His role on NCIS came after he appeared for a role in the show JAG, which led to the NCIS spinoff. NCIS itself later went on to generate other NCIS shows, including NCIS: Los Angeles and NCIS: New Orleans.

McCallum also found work as a voice actor for children’s cartoons and video games. A statement issued by his family called him a “true renaissance man”. “He was the kindest, coolest, most patient and loving father. He always put family before self,” son Peter McCallum said.

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