Former US Army Attorney Imprisoned for Destruction of Department of Defense Documents
Manfredo Martin-Michael Madrigal III has received a 54-month sentence for the intentional deletion of army materials. Read the full article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
Manfredo Martin-Michael Madrigal III, a former U.S. Army officer and attorney, has been sentenced to 54 months in federal prison for intentionally deleting Army materials during a period he described as a PTSD-related episode of alcoholism.
The Department of Justice announced the sentencing of the 38-year-old, who also misled authorities regarding his contact with a foreign national, despite having previously reached out to the Russian embassy in Washington, DC.
Madrigal was assigned in February 2022 to the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School, where he was involved in developing training materials. Prior to this assignment, he served on sensitive operations as an enlisted paratrooper with the U.S. 82nd Airborne Division.
He was under scrutiny for failing to report a prior DUI arrest. During the investigation into this omission, shortly after starting at JAG, he deliberately deleted training materials and recorded himself doing so.
Court documents cited by Military Times reference a video with profanity where Madrigal expressed disdain for the U.S. Army, stating, “you thought you could easily remove me?” He shared this footage with a former romantic partner, also a service member.
Madrigal then made a two-minute call to the Russian Embassy in Washington DC, proclaiming to his ex-girlfriend, “I am going to teach them a lesson… Russia has reached out to me.” He later asserted that the Russians “would like to know what I know.”
On February 22, 2022, Madrigal was discharged from the JAG School. In his exit paperwork, he stated that he had no unreported contact with foreign nationals, a claim he reiterated to the FBI months later.
In August 2022, he was arrested on cyberstalking charges linked to harassment of an ex-partner. Subsequently, he was indicted on multiple counts including willfully injuring U.S. property and making false statements. He pleaded guilty to four charges in July 2024.
Madrigal’s attorney, John N. Maher, contended that the destroyed materials were “benign and redundant electronic PowerPoint slides.”
Ramin Sohrabi contributed to this report for TROIB News
The Department of Justice announced the sentencing of the 38-year-old, who also misled authorities regarding his contact with a foreign national, despite having previously reached out to the Russian embassy in Washington, DC.
Madrigal was assigned in February 2022 to the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School, where he was involved in developing training materials. Prior to this assignment, he served on sensitive operations as an enlisted paratrooper with the U.S. 82nd Airborne Division.
He was under scrutiny for failing to report a prior DUI arrest. During the investigation into this omission, shortly after starting at JAG, he deliberately deleted training materials and recorded himself doing so.
Court documents cited by Military Times reference a video with profanity where Madrigal expressed disdain for the U.S. Army, stating, “you thought you could easily remove me?” He shared this footage with a former romantic partner, also a service member.
Madrigal then made a two-minute call to the Russian Embassy in Washington DC, proclaiming to his ex-girlfriend, “I am going to teach them a lesson… Russia has reached out to me.” He later asserted that the Russians “would like to know what I know.”
On February 22, 2022, Madrigal was discharged from the JAG School. In his exit paperwork, he stated that he had no unreported contact with foreign nationals, a claim he reiterated to the FBI months later.
In August 2022, he was arrested on cyberstalking charges linked to harassment of an ex-partner. Subsequently, he was indicted on multiple counts including willfully injuring U.S. property and making false statements. He pleaded guilty to four charges in July 2024.
Madrigal’s attorney, John N. Maher, contended that the destroyed materials were “benign and redundant electronic PowerPoint slides.”
Ramin Sohrabi contributed to this report for TROIB News
