Israeli Defense Minister’s Housekeeper Gets Three Years For Espionage
A former housekeeper for Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz will spend three years in prison for allegedly attempting to infect the official’s computer with malware in exchange for cash from Iran-linked hackers.
The cleaner, the BBC notes, agreed to a plea deal to avoid being prosecuted under espionage charges which carry a sentence of 10 to 15 years.
Evidence Points Israeli Defense Minister’s Housekeeper is a Spy
Authorities arrested the cleaner, a 38-year-old Lod resident who had reportedly worked in Gantz’s home for several years, and charged him with espionage last November. According to an indictment spotted by Business Insider, the cleaner allegedly reached out to members of a hacking group known as Black Shadow over Telegram.
In exchange for around $7,000, the cleaner allegedly agreed to feed the hacker’s information from within Gantz’s house and even allegedly offered to plug a dirty USB device into Gantz’s computer to infect it.
On top of that, prosecutors allege the cleaner sent photos of the defense minister’s computer and other items to the hackers to prove he had access to the residence. In a statement provided to The Times of Israel, the former cleaner’s attorney said he is not a spy, and argued their client did not knowingly try to spy for Iran.
That’s significant because, maybe you’ve heard, Israel and Iran aren’t exactly on great terms. This is about a man who found himself entangled in debt and identified a security breach, the attorneys said.
The Alleged Criminal Was A Criminal
The cleaner, on the other hand, reportedly claimed he intended to pull a fast one on the hackers. If they would have waited a few days before arresting me they’d see that I’m not a spy, the cleaner reportedly said, according to The Times of Israel.
Notably, he said, I wanted to trick the Iranians and take their money without sending them any photos or documents. Israel’s internal Shin Bet security service admitted it had found numerous failures in its vetting process leading to the cleaner’s hiring.
An investigation following the cleaner’s arrest determined he had five previous convictions and four prison sentences. Two of those allegedly involved bank robberies. Black Shadow was reportedly behind several hacking operations targeting Israeli officials last year.
