A civilian employee of the U.S. Department of Defence was arrested and made her initial court appearance to face charges of unauthorised removal and retention of classified documents.
Ewa Maria Ciszak, 64, of Huntsville, Alabama, is charged with knowingly removing and retaining classified documents and materials.
According to court documents unsealed today in the Northern District of Alabama, Ciszak has been employed at the Missile Defence Agency (MDA) since January 2023. As part of her duties, she held a security clearance and had access to classified materials related to the national defence of the United States.
Beginning in approximately February 2025 and continuing through June 18, 2025, Ciszak allegedly removed classified documents from MDA facilities without authorisation and transported them to her personal residence and vehicle, which were not authorised for classified material storage.
On June 18, 2025, pursuant to a search warrant authorised by the U.S. District Court, federal agents executed a search of Ciszak’s home, person, and vehicle. Agents recovered multiple documents bearing classification markings up to the SECRET level.
Some of the documents had been placed in her personal backpack that day and transported directly from MDA to her home.
