Exclusive: FBI raids home of ex-College Board official in probe of SAT leak

[alp227]

Source: Reuters

Federal agents searched the home of a former employee-turned-outspoken critic of the College Board, the standardized testing giant, as part of an investigation into the breach of hundreds of questions from the SAT college entrance exam.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation seized computers and other material on Friday from Manuel Alfaro, who left his job as executive director of assessment design and development at the College Board in February 2015. The FBI is investigating alleged computer intrusion and theft against an unidentified “victim corporation” involving “confidential or proprietary information,” including tests, test forms and internal emails, according to a search warrant issued in the case.

Alfaro had contacted officials of seven state governments in recent months, accusing the College Board of making false claims about its tests when bidding for public contracts with the states. The College Board, he alleged, misled the states about the process it used to create questions for the new version of the SAT, resulting in an inferior exam. He also aired those allegations publicly, largely through postings on his LinkedIn account.

Lawyers for Alfaro could not be reached for comment. An FBI official confirmed that agents were present at Alfaro’s home in Maryland but declined to elaborate.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-college-sat-fbi-idUSKCN112009

[Ned Flanders]

1. Remember when Obama promised a new era of protection for whistleblowers?

Someone on DU recently posted a fawning cult of personality love piece regarding Obama, and slammed people like me who say they like him but still criticize him. I think our heroes should be scrutinized and questioned, so please, spare me your Dubya-like either-or binary reasoning. You can like someone, support them, and still criticize them.

So I do love the guy. Obama's done fine against a strong opposition while saddled with weak friends, but this is one of the reasons why people like me are disappointed in him. I believe the stats show that more whistleblowers have been prosecuted under Obama than under any previous president.

Mr. Alfaro went to 6 different states asking for help, and the feds respond by investigating him? https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/mar/16/whistleblowers-double-standard-obama-david-petraeus-chelsea-manning

Nuts.

(shields up)

[msanthrope]

2. This guy isn't a whistleblower--he's being investigated for leaking to another corporate entity.

Now, apparently, he complained to Senator Mikulski. If that's the extent of what he did, he's protected from prosecution. If he leaked to other corporate entities, he's screwed.

Whistleblower or not, he's still subject to the 4th amendment. So maybe you could explain why the warrant was defective?

[FairWinds]

3. But the FBI (and Obama) cannot be bothered . .

to go after torturers or banksters.