A day after former Hawaii resident Edward Snowden revealed that he leaked top-secret government information to the media, his employer, Booz Allen Hamilton, would say nothing beyond a written statement posted Sunday on its website.
A receptionist at the firm’s downtown Honolulu offices in the makai tower of the Pacific Guardian Center at 733 Bishop St. would not provide a suite number for the business over the phone without an appointment, and another employee quickly ushered media away from its doors on the 30th floor after providing a written statement and directing media to a Washington, D.C., spokesman.
"We are not providing any additional information beyond our statement on the website at this time," spokesman James Fisher said in a phone interview.
The company at the center of a scandal over the release of top-secret National Security Agency surveillance programs to two media outlets acknowledged Sunday that Snowden, 29, had been an employee for fewer than three months assigned to a team in Hawaii.
The revelation sent Booz Allen’s stock price down 46 cents, or 2.6 percent, to $17.54 on Monday.
A Booz Allen statement said reports of the leaked information involving the government surveying phone records and Internet use to foil terrorism plots were "shocking" and that the leak "represents a grave violation of the code of conduct and core values of our firm."
The McLean, Va.-based firm employs roughly 24,500 people worldwide. A 2012 profile in Hawaii Business Magazine said the consulting giant had more than 300 workers here.
In filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Booz Allen said it depends on the U.S. government for virtually all of its revenue, which totaled more than $5.7 billion in the fiscal year ended March 31.
"If our relationships with such agencies are harmed, our future revenue and operating profits would decline," the firm said in an annual report filed May 23. "The mishandling or the perception of mishandling of sensitive information, such as our failure to maintain the confidentiality of the existence of our business relationships with certain of our clients or a failure to maintain adequate protection against security breaches, including those resulting from cyber attacks, could harm our relationship with U.S. government agencies."
The company acknowledged to investors that it is "exposed to the risk that employee or subcontractor fraud or other misconduct could occur."
"It is not always possible to deter employee or subcontractor misconduct, and the precautions we take to prevent and detect this activity may not be effective in controlling unknown or unmanaged risks or losses, which could materially harm our business," the company said. "As a result of such misconduct, our employees could lose their security clearance and we could face fines and civil or criminal penalties, loss of facility clearance accreditation, and suspension or debarment from contracting with the U.S. government."
The firm had 15 job openings in Honolulu on Monday, including positions for cryptologic linguist analysts for Chinese, Korean and Urdu, an official language of Pakistan.
The Carlyle Group, which acquired Booz Allen in 2008, holds a 67 percent stake in the company that provides management and consulting services in technology, engineering and analytics to combat global terrorism, improve cybercapabilities and protect the environment.
The government contractor, founded in 1914 by Edwin Booz, began advising the U.S. government in 1940 in preparation for World War II.
Today its major clients include the Department of Defense, U.S. military, U.S. Intelligence Community and civil agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security, Department of Energy, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of the Treasury and the Environmental Protection Agency.
The company was named among Hawaii’s top employers by Hawaii Business Magazine for the fifth year in a row in 2012 and has been recognized as one of Fortune Magazine’s World’s Most Admired Companies, a list based on quality and brand reputation.
