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Teens Whole Stole Veterans` Info Charged

Two Maryland teenagers have been charged with stealing a laptop as well as a hard drive that contained sensitive information about veterans from the apartment of an employee of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Police in the state of Maryland say the two 19-year-old teens took the equipment during a burglary, and had no idea what they had on their hands. They were arrested this last Saturday.

The data on the stolen laptop and hard drive included the names, Social Security Numbers and birth dates of up to 26.5 million veterans who had been discharged from the United States military since 1975. It was stolen May 3, but turned in by an unidentified person who responded to the $50,000 reward offer. Charges against the teens include first-degree burglary, theft over $500 and conspiracy to commit theft over $500. Charges against a third person, a juvenile, are pending.

While the theft has been called the worst breach of government data ever, the Department of Veterans Affairs said in July that they are confident the files had not been compromised as a result of the theft. This is believable, given the notion that the teenagers didn`t know what they had on their hands when they stole the computer equipment.