The Federal Bureau of Investigation has recovered a computer stolen from a Veterans Administration contractor which was believed to contain the personal data of 16,000 veterans and has made an arrest in the case, the VA announced Thursday.

Khalil Abdullah-Raheem, 21, of Washington, D.C., was charged Wednesday in federal court with theft of government property and released on $50,000 personal recognizance bond.

The FBI is now analyzing the computer to determine whether any of the personal data on the computer was compromised in the August theft from a Unisys office in Reston, Va. Abdullah-Raheem was a temporary worker supplied by an outside labor agency, the VA said.

VA secretary Jim Nicholson praised the investigative work of the FBI and VA’s Office of Inspector General.

“It appears that the Unisys computer was not targeted for the veteran information it may have contained,” Nicholson said in a statement. . . .

“The recovery of the computer is a shining moment for both the FBI and Office of the Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs,” said Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho), chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee. “This is the second time law enforcement has come through. Let’s hope there is no need for a third time.” — Government Computer News

Indeed. But I suspect this won’t be the last such theft.