FSN ACCOUNT OF CARJACKING, ABDUCTION PROVEN FALSE

UNCLAS TEGUCIGALPA 002582 SIPDIS FOR DS/DSS, DS/IP/ITA, DS/IP/WHA E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ASEC SUBJECT: FSN ACCOUNT OF CARJACKING, ABDUCTION PROVEN FALSE REF: TEGUC 2579 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: RSO has determined through further investigation that the recently alleged carjacking of an official USG vehicle and abduction of a USAID FSN (see reftel) was fabricated in its entirety. The FSN, when faced with new evidence that the RSO had obtained, admitted that he took the vehicle without authorization, gotten into a vehicular accident while inebriated, abandoned the vehicle at the scene of the accident, concocted a story of abduction, lied to RSO and USAID personnel regarding the circumstances of his disappearance, and recruited his family to corroborate his story. RSO has recommended immediate termination of the employee. End Summary. ¶2. (SBU) On 12/24/2005, RSO submitted reftel, which details the account of a theft of an official USAID vehicle and the apparent abduction of the FSN driver. According to the FSN, he was carjacked at 1700 hours on 12/22/2005 while returning the vehicle to the USAID warehouse, The FSN claimed that his masked captors repeatedly demanded to know the locations of his American supervisors' residences. The FSN stated that he did not provide this information, despite being threatened at gunpoint. He said that he was ultimately released at 1800 hours on Friday 12/23/2005. ¶3. (SBU) At 1200 hours on Saturday, 12/24/2005, the FSN finally contacted his USAID supervisors to report what had allegedly happened to him. Up until this point, USAID had no knowledge as to the whereabouts of the employee, and were repeatedly trying to contact him, assuming he was sick and had simply failed to notify his superiors. Once USAID EXO learned of the alleged carjacking/abduction from the employee, he immediately contacted RSO. RSO and USAID personnel interviewed the employee within an hour, and the immediate action by RSO was to notify USAID Amcit supervisors of the alleged threat against them, augment security around their residences, and report these events to the Department via reftel. ¶4. (SBU) Since the submission of that report, new information regarding the circumstances of the case has come to light. After the initial interview with the employee and subsequent submission of reftel, RSO contacted local police authorities to determine if the stolen USG vehicle had been involved in any type of accident or in other crimes in the area. Today, on 12/27/2005, RSO learned that indeed an accident report was submitted to the police in which the USG vehicle was reported to have been involved in a minor accident with a privately-owned vehicle (POV). From the report, the name the POV driver was ascertained and the driver was contacted by RSO and USAID personnel. According to the POV driver, his vehicle was hit by the USG Suburban at approximately 1430 hours on 12/23/2005. The claimant stated that the driver of the Suburban was a Honduran male who was obviously inebriated. He further stated that he driver of the Suburban fled the scene. The claimant then provided a description of the hit-and-run driver which corresponded with the USAID employee who had purportedly been abducted. ¶5. (SBU) Armed with this new evidence, RSO interviewed the FSN again and obtained a full confession that he had fabricated the carjacking/abduction story and had involved his wife and nine-year old son in his deception. The FSN admitted that he took the USG vehicle without authorization and for personal use, failed to return to work the following day, got drunk and had an accident, fled the scene of the accident thereby abandoning the vehicle, and fabricated the entire story of a carjacking and abduction in order prevent discovery of the truth and the inevitable ramifications to follow. ¶6. (SBU) RSO has advised the USAID front office of the outcome of the investigation and has recommended the immediate termination of the employee for cause. USAID personnel have advised that they agree with this recommendation. Ford