State Dept. Debars Former Intelligence Community Members for Alleged ITAR Violations

The State Department imposed an administrative debarment on three former U.S. intelligence community and military members for their roles in export control violation charges, the agency said. The debarments prohibit Ryan Adams, Marc Baier and Daniel Gericke from exporting or participating in transactions that export defense articles or services that require a license under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations. The debarments for Adams and Baier took effect July 7 and expire July 7, 2025; the debarment for Gericke took effect Aug. 5 and expires Aug. 5, 2025.

The debarment action comes about one year after the trio paid more than $1.68 million as part of a deferred prosecution agreement with DOJ (see 2109150031). The fine stemmed from their work as senior managers at United Arab Emirates-based DarkMatter Group, a company that carried out computer hacking operations to benefit the UAE government. Their work constituted a “defense service” under the ITAR and required a license, but the trio never obtained the authorization, State said.