March 17--A former senior analyst at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago pleaded guilty in U.S. court Thursday to stealing confidential financial documents from the bank, the Justice Department said.
In a written plea agreement provided by the department, Jeffrey Cho, 35, admitted that he stole about 35 confidential documents from the Federal Reserve Bank shortly before quitting and taking a new job. Cho, who had access to information related to the Fed's duty to monitor the health of certain U.S. financial institutions, took documents to his Chicago home and kept them.
Cho, according to the plea agreement, knew the documents were confidential, were the property of the Federal Reserve and weren't supposed to be taken after he left his job.
When confronted by the FBI, Cho admitted that he printed out 35 documents but falsely stated that he left them at the Federal Reserve before he quit, the plea deal said.
Cho pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of property theft, the U.S. Justice Department said.
He faces a maximum sentence of one year in prison and a maximum fine of $100,000.
A sentencing hearing has been set for June 21.
Cho's lawyer couldn't be reached for immediate comment.
byerak@tribpub.com
