Michael A. Peri | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1967-03-21)March 21, 1967 (age 58) |
| Nationality | American |
| Known for | Espionage conviction during the Cold War |
Michael A. Peri (born March 21, 1967) was aMilitary IntelligenceElectronic Warfare Signals Analyst for theUnited States Army during theCold War, who was convicted ofespionage in 1989 and sentenced to 30 years in prison.
Peri was born in California, the son of Fred R. Peri (1937–2015) and Winnie Lee Peri (1938–2020).[1] He grew up inLa Habra, California.[1][2] He lived in an expatriate colony in South Africa for three years as a teenager, and he also attended a year of school in Salzburg, Austria. He graduated fromLa Quinta High School inWestminster, California, in 1983 and then joined the Army Reserves.[1]
On February 20, 1989, Peri vanished from the11th Armored Cavalry Regiment (ACR) inFulda,West Germany. An exhaustive search was conducted to locate him when it was discovered that he had stolen aportable computer that was used to store classified military defense plans.[3] Peri was not found, although it was suspected that he had defected toEast Germany when aHumvee that he had stolen was located near the East German border.[4]
Eleven days later, for reasons that have never been fully explained, Peri turned himself in at the front gate of the 11th ACR. He was greeted at HQ byCol Abrams and arrested by Military Police SPC Shull.[5] He was court-martialed forespionage, where he was convicted on June 25, 1989, and sentenced to 30 years.[6][7] Even after the conclusion of the court-martial, investigators were perplexed at what had caused this strange turn of events. Peri had twice been nominated for a "Soldier of the Month" award in his unit. During interrogation, Peri admitted he felt overworked and taken for granted by his superior officers. Other soldiers who were interrogated said Peri was often seen with an attractive woman whom they believed to be an East German agent. The woman whom he had been fraternizing with likely exploited his dissatisfaction with the Army to entice him to defecting to East Germany. Peri's voluntary return to West Germany and his surrender to the U.S.Military Police was most likely due to him being overcome by a guilty conscience for a rash decision.
