Numerous contractors with the CIA were fired from their jobs and escorted off the agency’s premises after admitting to stealing more than $3,300 worth of snacks from vending machines, according to a report.
BuzzFeed News obtained a declassified October 2013 report from the Office of Inspector General through a Freedom of Information Act request detailing the thefts and the scheme that gave the contractors access to snacks without paying for them.
According to the report, the thefts began in the fall of 2012 and continued through March 2013.
The contractors unplugged network cables connecting the vending machines to FreedomPay, an electronics payment system, which disrupted the communication between the machines and the FreedomPay network server.
In doing so, the “non-paying” contractors could purchase snacks using unfunded FreedomPay cards.
After the Office of Inspector General was notified of the scheme, it opened an investigation into the matter.
Technicians from the Office of Security installed surveillance cameras in areas where a “high occurrence of thefts” from the vending machines were taking place and captured several contractors participating in the scheme on camera.
One contractor, whose name was redacted, admitted to coming up with the idea of disconnecting the FreedomPay cables to get snacks from the vending machines without paying for them.
The contractor’s “knowledge of computer networks” provided him with the expertise to orchestrate the scheme, the Office of Inspector General said.
The contractor shared the technique with others, who then became involved. The other contractors were also identified through surveillance camera footage, and all who were identified admitted to stealing the snacks.
After speaking with the Office of Inspector General, the thieves surrendered their CIA badges and were escorted off the agency’s premises and fired from their jobs.
The inspector general referred the matter to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, but the Justice Department decided not to press charges.
