Feds Sued By Unjustly Accused Jewish Engineer

IsraelWire - Oct. 18, 1998

An orthodox Jewish engineer at a US Army tank plant has sued the US Justice Department, claiming federal agents exercised religious bias in a spy investigation. The government dropped a 10-month investigation of David Tenenbaum in July, saying it found insufficient evidence for an indictment.

He had been placed on leave and had his home searched on suspicion he spied for Israel. Tenenbaum, 40, of Southfield, filed a lawsuit this week in US District Court in Detroit seeking $120 million from the Justice Department and several officials. "My concern is David's orthodox faith may have made him a target," said Tenenbaum's lawyer, Martin Crandall. "This is ethnic-orientated persecution."

The Defense Department and FBI began investigating Tenenbaum in 1997. The FBI said at the time that Tenenbaum may have released information on armor systems, Patriot missile countermeasures, Bradley fighting vehicles and Humvees to Israel. Justice Department spokesman John Russell said he could not comment on pending litigation. The Army said Friday that it had not seen a copy of the lawsuit. FBI Detroit spokeswoman Dawn Clenney declined to comment.