{"article":{"id":104885,"heading":"Republican insider spied for Saddam","author":"Patricia Hurtado","created":"2004-03-13 02:40:10","modified":"2004-03-13 14:59:46","last_modified":"Sat, 13 Mar 2004 21:59:46","article":"

Ex-congressional aide is accused of spying for Iraq

Newsday.com, March 12, 2004

A Maryland woman who is a cousin of White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card and once worked for three members of Congress was arrested Thursday and charged with spying for Saddam Hussein for nearly three years.

Susan Lindauer, 41, who law enforcement officials said is Card's second cousin and whose father ran for governor of Alaska as a Republican, is accused of accepting $10,000 from Saddam's Iraqi Intelligence Service as payment for her work and expenses.

In an indictment unsealed in federal court in Manhattan, Lindauer was charged with acting and conspiring to act as an unregistered agent of the Iraqi Intelligence Service. She was also accused of engaging in prohibited financial transactions with the Iraqi government.

FBI agents arrested Lindauer Thursday morning at her home in Takoma Park, Md. She was expected to be presented late Thursday before U.S. Magistrate-Judge Susan Gaubay in Baltimore, said a spokesman for the Manhattan U.S. Attorney's Office.

\"I'm an anti-war activist, and I'm innocent,\" Lindauer told WBAL-TV outside the Baltimore FBI office. \"I did more to stop terrorism in this country than anybody else. I have done good things for this country. I worked to get weapons inspectors back to Iraq when everyone else said it was impossible. I'm very proud, and I'll stand by my achievements.\"

Lindauer is scheduled to appear before U.S. District Judge Michael Mukasey in Manhattan Monday.

Prosecutors said Lindauer, who was known by the code name \"Symbol Susan,\" was charged in an expanded indictment filed last year against two sons of a former Iraqi diplomat accused of spying on Iraqi dissidents living in the United States.

The two men, Wisam Noman Al-Anbuke and Raed Noman Al-Anbuke, have pleaded not guilty and are awaiting trial.

The Manhattan U.S. attorney's office declined comment when asked to describe what relationship, if any, Lindauer had with the Al-Anbuke brothers. However, the indictment charges she met with an Iraqi intelligence officer in Manhattan at least eight times between October 1999 and March 2002. She also accepted a task given to her by an Iraqi officer in October 2001, the indictment said.

She is accused of traveling to Baghdad as a guest of the Iraqi Intelligence Service. Lindauer allegedly met in Iraq with several intelligence officers at the Al-Rashid Hotel, accepting cash payments of about $5,000. On her return, Lindauer allegedly met with an Iraqi officer in Manhattan.

The indictment further accuses her of delivering a letter \"to the home of a Government official\" on Jan. 8, 2003. Prosecutors contend that in the letter Lindauer \"conveyed her established access to, and contacts with, members of the Saddam Hussein regime.\" The indictment described the letter as an \"unsuccessful attempt to influence U.S. foreign policy.\"

After her return, the indictment charges that in June, 2003, Lindauer met with an FBI agent posing as a member of the Libyan intelligence service seeking to support resistance groups in post-war Iraq and discussed the need for plans and foreign support of such groups.

Lindauer allegedly met the undercover once in July and on two occasions in August 2003 left documents in a designated location near her home for the undercover agent.

If convicted of acting as an unregistered agent, Lindauer could face up to 10 years in prison and up to five years if convicted of conspiracy.\n","contact":"foreign@newsday.com","link":"http:\/\/www.newsday.com\/news\/nationworld\/nation\/","address":"","phone":"","parent_id":0,"mime_type":"text\/plain","summary":"Lindauer allegedly met in Iraq with several intelligence officers at the Al-Rashid Hotel, accepting cash payments of about $5,000. On her return, Lindauer allegedly met with an Iraqi officer in Manhattan.","numcomment":4,"fileurl":"\/uploads\/","filesize":null,"article_url":"\/news\/2004\/03\/104885.php"},"attachments":[],"comments":[{"id":104919,"heading":"The difference","article":"This must really be causing mixed feelings among you fools....the bitch is a Republican..........but she's still a woman. She's a traitor....but so are you. What to do?","author":"Eduardo Carocchio","parent_id":104885,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2004-03-13 10:27:07","modified":"2004-03-13 10:27:07","fileurl":""},{"id":104931,"heading":"NOT a Republican!","article":"The bitch worked for Carol Mosley Braun, and was as much a liberal Democrat as the rest of the morons at Indymedia. \r\nNail 'er up!","author":"Sanson","parent_id":104885,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2004-03-13 14:25:15","modified":"2004-03-13 14:25:15","fileurl":""},{"id":104935,"heading":"same poster","article":"this kind of idiot garbage is from our new troll.","author":"( + )( - )","parent_id":104885,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2004-03-13 14:46:22","modified":"2004-03-13 14:46:22","fileurl":""},{"id":104936,"heading":"Same poster?","article":"I'm not the first guy, no matter how you may wish it were so.\r\nBut the bitch is still a Democrat, read 'em and weep.","author":"Sanson","parent_id":104885,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2004-03-13 14:59:46","modified":"2004-03-13 14:59:46","fileurl":""}]}