A senior Navy intelligence official has been federally indicted on counts of conspiracy and theft of government money, according to documents filed Sept. 24 with the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.

David Landersman, the former senior director of intelligence for the deputy undersecretary of the Navy plans, policy, oversight and integration, intelligence directorate, is accused of conspiring with his brother, Mark Landersman, and his former subordinate at PPOI, Lee Hall, in a scheme to steal $1.6 million of government money by way of a bogus contract to fabricate unregistered firearm silencers.

According to court documents, David Landersman had an undisclosed $50,000 investment in his brother Mark's company, Advanced Machining and Engineering, in California. Lee Hall, former director of intelligence at PPOI in the Pentagon, arranged steered $1.6 million in research funds in a contract with Mark Landersman's company to fabricate 349 silencers, using plans they group found on the Internet. the internet.

Mark Landersman is alleged to have paid a California machine-shop owner about $10,000 to fabricate the silencers before shipping them in four boxes to Maryland, where they were ultimately seized by agents with Naval Criminal Investigative Service.NCIS.

Hall and Mark Landersman were convicted in late 2014, according to a Justice Department press release.

David Landersman could not be immediately reached for comment Friday. His attorney, Stephen Ryan, said in a statement his client should be cleared of the charges.

"Col. Landersman is an American hero who has won the Silver Star and Bronze Star, and we look forward to him clearing his good name," Ryan said.

According to the complaint, David Landersman is accused of coordinating the ill-gotten contract with his brother and Hall by using his government email, implicating him in the conspiracy.

On Aug. 14, 2012, for example, David Landersman is alleged to have sent his brother, Mark, an email with a web link to an article titled "How I built a 300 AAC Blackout Suppressor," with the note reading "Look this over ... Looks very much like what we're going to send you ..."

The the article also contained a warning to abide by federal firearms laws before building the silencer on risk of "hard prison time."

The response from Mark was, allegedly, "Wow, looks simple!"

David Landersman is also accused of requesting a $3 million budget plus-up for his office for the research funding used in the scheme.

David Landersman is still a Navy employee but has been pulled off intelligence duties, said Navy spokesman Cmdr. William Marks.

"The Department of the Navy does not comment on ongoing criminal prosecutions and will consider appropriate administrative action in response to the indictment," Marks said. "Mr. Landersman is no longer performing duties in any way associated with intelligence."

The Military Times Hall of Valor records shows a David Landersman was awarded the Silver Star for action in the Gulf War. His citation says he rescued an allied artillery unit pinned down by enemy fire in a mine field. Then-Capt. Landersman saved the trappend personnel, destroying one Iraqi tank and disabling another in the process. 

David B. Larter was the naval warfare reporter for Defense News.

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