A former Army officer and attorney was sentenced to 54 months in federal prison for destroying U.S. Army property and making false statements to federal investigators. Manfredo Martin-Michael Madrigal, 38, formerly of Charlottesville, Virginia, pleaded guilty in July 2024 to one count of destruction of U.S. Army materials and three counts of making a false statement.

Court documents reveal that in February 2022, Madrigal was assigned to the JAG School's Training Developments Directorate. He held an active security clearance and had served overseas on sensitive operations.

In early 2022, while under investigation by the U.S. Army for failing to report a previous DUI arrest, Madrigal deleted online JAG training materials without authorization. He filmed himself doing so while expressing ill-will towards the Army. The FBI's investigation also uncovered that Madrigal contacted the Russian embassy in Washington D.C., on the same night he deleted the materials and texted a witness about Russia's interest in what he knew.

On February 22, 2022, after being discharged from the JAG School, Madrigal falsely claimed in his exit paperwork that he had no unreported contact with foreign nationals. In subsequent interviews with the FBI in April and May 2022, he denied involvement in deleting materials and falsely denied contact with a foreign national at the Embassy.

Acting United States Attorney Zachary T. Lee of the Western District of Virginia and Stanley M. Meador, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Division announced this development.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and U.S. Army Counterintelligence Command.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katie Burroughs Medearis, Vito A. Iaia, Sean M. Welsh, along with Special Assistant United States Attorney Jessica Joyce are prosecuting for the United States.