Severna Park resident Wayne Schepens was the originator of what can only be described as a good idea.
As a National Security Agency employee, Schepens designed and directed a computer competition for students at military academies ? called the Cyber Defense Exercise ? that allowed the students to fight off computer attacks by NSA employees posing as hackers.
But there was one problem with Schepens? idea, prosecutors say: The nearly $800,000 needed to run it went to Schepens and his wife.
On Thursday, Schepens pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Baltimore to awarding more than $770,000 in government contracts to companies in which he had a financial interest.
“It is a crime for government employees to participate in awarding contracts that bring them personal financial benefits.” said Maryland U.S. Attorney Rod Rosenstein.
According to the Schepens? plea agreement, he worked at the NSA for eight years until he resigned on July 26, 2006.
During that time, Schepens co-created and directed the Cyber Defense Exercise, an annual competition between students at various military service academies in which “blue” teams of students were graded on their ability to protect computer networks from attacks by “red” teams of “hackers.”
Schepensdetermined funding sources for the project, causing more than $770,000 in government contracts to go to companies owned or operated by Schepens and his wife, Jennifer, prosecutors said.
But Schepens did not identify the source of income for himself and his spouse until learning of a governmental investigation into his alleged conflict of interest in 2005, according to court documents.
Schepens faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. U.S. District Judge Catherine Blake is slated to sentence him on April 6.
His attorney, Steven Wrobel, did not immediately return a phone call requesting comment.
