WASHINGTON (AP) — A former government official responsible for protecting whistle-blowers has pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of injury to government property.

Scott Bloch had his government computer and those of two of his staffers wiped clean of information in 2006. He had been under investigation at the time for retaliating against employees at the federal agency he headed, which was responsible for protecting the rights of federal workers and ensuring that government whistle-blowers are not subjected to reprisals.