A former FBI agent has been accused of unlawfully taking and sharing protected FBI files, as per court documents obtained by CBS News.
Johnathan Buma, who focused on national security and terrorism cases, has been released on a $100,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court in Los Angeles.
Buma was arrested while preparing to board an international flight at JFK airport in New York, according to the charging documents. The filings from the Justice Department allege that Buma printed a large number of FBI records from an internal agency network. An FBI investigation suggests that nearly 130 files may have been compromised. The government contends that these records were distinctly marked as confidential or secure, and Buma copied them shortly before leaving his position at the bureau in October 2023.
The charging documents further indicate that just days after obtaining copies of the records, Buma posted excerpts on social media from a book he was writing about his experiences within the bureau. Federal investigators assert that the book contained information Buma acquired from the FBI related to an investigation into a foreign nation’s weapons of mass destruction program.
Prior to his departure, Buma characterized himself as a whistleblower and was openly critical of the Trump administration during President Trump’s initial term. He also testified before a Senate committee in 2023, stating that his informants were the first to alert the government about potential misconduct involving Hunter Biden and his business dealings in Ukraine with an energy company. He claimed they provided details “regarding Hunter Biden’s activities in Ukraine with Burisma and how he leveraged his position as the vice president’s son to secure a lucrative position.”
According to the charges, Buma is also accused of saving screenshots of conversations with a confidential FBI source.
In court documents filed in a U.S. District Court in New York, investigators cited Buma’s own book manuscript, where he refers to himself as “one of the nation’s top performing counterintelligence agents.”
There was no immediate response from Buma’s attorney regarding a request for comment, and no plea has been entered in the case yet.
Buma was a ticketed passenger on an outbound international flight from JFK airport on Monday, according to the Justice Department. He was apprehended by FBI personnel at 10 p.m. Monday, prior to the flight’s departure.
Buma served with the FBI for 15 years, including time at an office in Orange County, California, within the Los Angeles division. His work primarily involved counterintelligence and counterproliferation efforts.
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this report stated that Johnathan Buma was charged with disclosing classified records; however, the records were confidential. This article has been updated.
