WASHINGTON, D.C. : Ex-Justice Official Settles Privacy Suit

The Justice Department has agreed to pay $250,000 to settle a violation of privacy lawsuit by Roger Pilon, a former senior Justice official who was exonerated after a lengthy Justice investigation into allegations that he and his wife passed classified information to South Africa, according to officials familiar with the settlement. The payment ends a legal battle that began nearly a decade ago. The federal government has already paid Pilon $25,000 for violating his privacy. “I hope we don’t have to go through this again,” Pilon said during a telephone interview. “This is the kind of Kafkaesque nightmare that should never happen. And it’s getting pretty expensive for the American taxpayer.”