WhistleblowersOffice of law firm representing State Department whistleblower burglarized
The Dallas, Texas offices of the law firm representing State Department whistleblower Aurelia Fedenisn were burglarized two weeks ago. The two burglars stole three computers. Cary Schulman, a partner in the firm, said: “It’s clear to me that it was somebody looking for information and not money. My most high-profile case right now is the Aurelia Fedenisn case, and I can’t think of any other case where someone would go to these great lengths to get our information.”
The Dallas, Texas offices of law firm Schulman & Mathias were broken into two weeks ago by two burglars caught on surveillance camera. The two stole three computers. Damon Mathias, a partner at the firm, said
Attorneys said the burglars may have been hired to steal documents related to State Department whistleblower Aurelia Fedenisn, who is represented by the firm.
In addition to Fedenisn, Schulman & Mathias represents another client who is embroiled in a battle with the State Department.
In early June, Fedenisn gave CBS News a draft State Department Inspector General report which offered the details of allegations that alleged sex crimes involving diplomats — including one U.S. ambassador who allegedly visited prostitutes — were ignored by State Department top officials.
The other client of the firm, Rick Higbie, named Hillary Clinton in a lawsuit he filed against the State Department Diplomatic Security Service which, Higbie contends, wrongly demoted him. Fox News reported that the case may develop into a perjury case against two State Department officials.
Damon Mathias, a partner at the firm, told U.S. News that the burglars, who broke into the law firm’s office by cutting through a wall separating the office from a neighboring vacant office suite, were probably not looking to steal valuables, but were rather looking for information.
“The people in the video don’t look like they’re political at all,” Mathias noted. “They look like they were hired by someone.”
Whoever was behind the burglary might have been “looking to see what we had,” Mathias said. “There are a fair amount of people who have been implicated in the documents [released by Fedenisn]. As far as motive is concerned, that information pertained to them.”
“It’s a crazy, strange and suspicious situation,” attorney Cary Schulman told the Cable. “It’s clear to me that it was somebody looking for information and not money. My most high-profile case right now is the Aurelia Fedenisn case, and I can’t think of any other case where someone would go to these great lengths to get our information.”
The firm did not provide police with a list of possible suspects, and the police have not identified any persons of interest in the case. “We are looking at who was interested in protecting the information,” the attorney said.
“We’re in theory land,” Mathias said, adding that he and his partner, Cary Schulman, “never alleged that the State Department came here and robbed us.”
Foreign Policy magazine quoted State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki, who flatly denied any State Department involvement in, or knowledge of, the burglary.
U.S. News notes that although the burglars opened a desk drawer which had four credit cards in it, they took only one of the four cards with them.
KDFW reports that the stolen card was used for several retail purchases at Dallas’s Valley View Center mall around 4:45 p.m. on 29 June Mathias said.
Dallas police spokeswoman Sherri Jeffrey told U.S. News that although the crime remains unsolved, police are aware of the purchases and seeking to acquire store surveillance footage.
