US
United States v. Rosen and Weissman
Court Case
Relationships:4
Events:0
Library:3
Confidence:
100%
Key Facts
Type
Court Case
Sector
Not specified
Industry
Not specified
Status
Draft
Country
United States
Also Known As
U.S. v. Rosen and WeissmanAIPAC Espionage CaseUnited States v. Franklin, Rosen, and Weissman
Tags
espionageAIPAClobbyingnational securityEspionage Actclassified information
Overall Confidence
100%
Internal Notes
No notes
Key Information
Positions
No positions added
Case Number
1:05-cr-00225
Court
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
Jurisdiction
Federal (Eastern District of Virginia)
Filing Date
8/4/2005
Case Status
Dismissed
Case Type
Criminal
Plaintiffs
United States of America
Defendants
Steven J. RosenKeith Weissman
About
The 2005 federal criminal espionage case in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia charged AIPAC officials and lobbyists Steven (Steve) Rosen and Keith Weissman with conspiracy to violate the Espionage Act by handling and transmitting classified information. The case was dismissed in 2009 after constitutional challenges.
Key Relationships
Keith Weissman
indicted
Weissman was formally indicted on August 4, 2005, alongside Rosen, for allegedly receiving and disseminating classified national defense information obtained from Pentagon analyst Larry Franklin; the case was dismissed in 2009 due to evidentiary and constitutional issues.
Since 2005
JK
John K. Zwerling
defended
Zwerling defended Weissman in this high-profile case, filing motions that highlighted free speech issues and led to full dismissal, influencing future prosecutions of lobbyists.
Since 2005
David Szady
prosecuted
Szady's counterintelligence team drove the investigation leading to the indictment, though the case was ultimately dropped, highlighting legal challenges in espionage prosecutions.
Since 2004
Howard Kohr
challenged
Under Howard Kohr's leadership, AIPAC actively challenged the legal basis and proceedings in *U.S. v. Rosen and Weissman*, arguing that the case threatened First Amendment protections for lobbyists. AIPAC funded legal efforts, including the defense of Rosen and Weissman, and lobbied the Department of Justice to drop the charges. The case was ultimately dismissed in 2009, but it remains a contentious issue, with critics arguing that AIPAC's influence helped secure the dismissal.
Since 2005