A Navy sailor has pleaded guilty to charges alleging that he illegally retained photos he took with his cellphone of classified areas and equipment inside a nuclear attack submarine based in Connecticut.
Federal prosecutors say 29-year-old Kristian Saucier of Arlington, Vermont, pleaded guilty Friday in federal court in Bridgeport to unauthorized possession and retention of national defense information. He faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
The photos were on a phone that was found at a waste transfer station in Connecticut.
Authorities say Saucier was a machinist’s mate from 2007 to 2012 aboard the USS Alexandria at the Navy submarine base in Groton.
He’s currently assigned to a Navy facility in Saratoga Springs, New York, and is awaiting an administrative separation board hearing.
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