Navy Lawyer Faces Court-Martial

NORFOLK, Va. -- A Navy lawyer charged with passing secret information about Guantanamo Bay detainees to an unauthorized person was ordered on Monday to face a court-martial, the Navy said.

Lt. Cmdr. Matthew M. Diaz, who was stationed at the U.S. base at Guantanamo Bay from July 2004 until January 2005, could face more than 36 years in prison if convicted. No trial date was set.

Diaz, 41, of Topeka, Kan., is charged with failing to obey a lawful general regulation, engaging in conduct unbecoming an officer by wrongfully transmitting classified documents to an unauthorized person, and removing, printing and communicating to an unauthorized person classified secret information related to national defense.

The Navy has said the recipient of the information notified authorities. The Navy has declined to identify that person.

A complaint does not specify what type of information Diaz is accused of copying and transmitting, but a Navy spokeswoman previously described it as a document containing names and other identifying information about Guantanamo detainees.

Since 2002, the U.S. military has held foreign citizens suspected of terrorist ties at a detention center at the base in Cuba. Diaz provided counsel to the military command in charge of the detention center but was not involved in detainees' cases, the Navy says.

Diaz remains free and is stationed in Jacksonville, Fla., Navy spokesman Kevin Copeland said.

Diaz's civilian attorney, Victor Kelley, did not return a call seeking comment.