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