Yellowhammer Times

A civilian employee of the U.S. Department of Defense has been charged with unauthorized removal and retention of classified documents. Ewa Maria Ciszak, 64, from Huntsville, Alabama, is accused of knowingly removing and retaining sensitive materials.

Court documents unsealed in the Northern District of Alabama reveal that Ciszak has worked at the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) since January 2023. Her role required a security clearance granting her access to national defense-related classified materials. From February 2025 until June 18, 2025, she allegedly took classified documents from MDA facilities without permission and transported them to her home and vehicle, which were not authorized for storing such materials.

On June 18, federal agents executed a search warrant on Ciszak’s residence, person, and vehicle. They recovered several documents marked up to the SECRET level. Some were found in her personal backpack that had been taken directly from MDA to her home.

The announcement was made by Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg, U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona for the Northern District of Alabama, and Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division.

The investigation is being conducted by the FBI’s Birmingham Field Office and the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations with assistance from the FBI Atlanta Field Office’s Savannah Resident Agency and the Missile Defense Agency.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Henry Cornelius for the Northern District of Alabama along with Trial Attorneys Chantelle Dial and Adam Barry from the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are handling prosecution.

It is important to note that a criminal complaint is merely an allegation; all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.