HOUSTON –A 49-year-old former special agent with Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) has been sent to prison following her conviction of obstructing justice, making false statements and accepting money and gifts for official acts, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
A federal jury sitting in Houston convicted Leatrice Malika DeBruhl-Daniels June 13, following a six-day trial.
Today, U.S. District Judge Gray Miller ordered DeBruhl-Daniels to serve 108 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by one year of supervised release. In handing down the sentence, the court cited DeBruhl’s breach of trust and deterrence.
“Leatrice DeBruhl-Daniels betrayed her badge and our country by revealing sensitive and classified information to the target of an FBI counterterrorism investigation in exchange for money, gifts and affection,” said NCIS Director Omar Lopez. “Holding her accountable will make it clear that NCIS will not tolerate corruption within our ranks.”
DeBruhl-Daniels was a veteran NCIS special agent working in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. There, she met Nadal Diya, a Syrian businessman living in Dubai looking for help in securing a visa to the United States. At that time, Diya was the target of several federal investigations.
At trial, the jury heard from 16 government witnesses, which included numerous agents and Diya himself. Testimony revealed that in 2017, DeBruhl-Daniels used her position to get certain benefits from Diya in exchange for...
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