US obtains final judgment against Edward Snowden over book proceeds News
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US obtains final judgment against Edward Snowden over book proceeds

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Thursday that the US had received a final injunction against Edward Snowden in a case over proceeds from his book. The case was first filed in 2019, and the DOJ was seeking to receive all proceeds from the publication of the book Permanent Record.

The DOJ alleged that Snowden published the book in violation of his non-disclosure agreement since he did not submit it for review prior to it being published. The court entered judgment in favor of the US in December but reserved judgment on what exactly the government was entitled to receive.

The court entered final judgment on Thursday granting the US government “an amount exceeding $5.2 million and imposed a constructive trust for the benefit of the United States over those sums and any further monies, royalties, or other financial advantages derived by Snowden from Permanent Record and 56 specific speeches.”

Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen said, “As this case demonstrates, the Department of Justice will not overlook the wrongful actions of those who seek to betray the trust reposed in them and to personally profit from their access to classified national security information.”

This is a civil case and is separate from the criminal charges Snowden faces for disclosing classified information.