An NYPD sergeant illegally took a computer file from the FBI’s terrorist watch list and handed it over to a Canadian woman – who was involved in a child-custody battle with a man who was being monitored, federal authorities revealed yesterday.
Sgt. Haytham Khalil, who was acquainted with the woman, allegedly agreed to dig up dirt on the man on the terror list and accessed the federal database to help the woman’s custody fight, according to a complaint in Manhattan federal court.
Khalil, 34, was not authorized to access the database. But he was able to do so because he was given an access code by another NYPD sergeant, sources said.
Authorities caught wind of the exchange when the document was entered into evidence during a custody hearing in Canada.
Following that hearing, an officer of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police brought the file to the attention of the FBI’s legal attaché in Ottawa in late April, according to authorities.
An audit of the NYPD’s account linking the document to the federal database determined Khalil had gone into the computer on Dec. 6, 2007, and pulled the file on the unidentified man and handed it over to the woman, whose name was not released.
When questioned, the woman said she knew Khalil and that he had offered to help her when he found out about the child custody battle she was having with the man on the terror watch list.
Khalil, an eight-year police veteran, then sent her a copy of the man’s file, which she gave to her attorney.
Khalil, who is assigned to the Manhattan South Precinct, is charged with accessing a computer without authorization.
He faces up to one year in prison and a fine of more than $100,000 if convicted.
Wearing a charcoal gray suit, he surrendered to federal authorities yesterday to be arraigned.
When asked by the judge if he understood his rights, Khalil replied, “Yes sir.”
Magistrate Judge Andrew Peck then ordered Khalil to surrender his passport. The judge also restricted his travel to New York and eastern Pennsylvania, where Khalil plans to spend Thanksgiving.
He later was released on $20,000 bond.
The NYPD suspended Khalil without pay.
Additional reporting by Carolyn Salazar