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Former intelligence official receives sentence for breaking Canada’s secrets law

  • Former Canadian National Police intelligence officer Cameron Jay Ortiz has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for violating the Secrets Act.
  • Mr. Ortiz, 51, led the Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s operational research group, which was responsible for gathering sensitive information about cybercrime.
  • Ortiz is accused of releasing classified information in 2015 and attempting to release it again without authorization.

A judge on Wednesday sentenced a former Canadian National Police intelligence official to 14 years in prison for violating national secrets laws.

Cameron Ortiz led the Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s operational research group, which gathers sensitive information about cybercrime, terrorist organizations, and transnational criminal networks.

Ontario Superior Court Justice Robert Marenger said Wednesday that Ortiz was granted time in custody and must serve an additional seven years and 155 days in prison.

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A jury found Ortiz, 51, guilty last November of three counts of violating the Information Security Act and one count of attempted violation. They also found him guilty of breach of trust and computer misuse.

RCMP intelligence officer Cameron Ortiz leaves court in Ottawa, Ontario, after being granted bail on October 22, 2019. A judge on Wednesday sentenced Ortiz to 14 years in prison for violating state secrets laws. (Justin Tan/Canadian Press, via AP)

Ortiz had pleaded not guilty to all charges, including violating the Secrecy Act for disclosing confidential information to three people in 2015 and attempting to do so at the fourth trial.

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Prosecutors argued that Ortiz was not authorized to disclose the classified materials and did not do so as part of an authorized covert operation.

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