Nicole Perlroth, Cleared of Spying Charge, But Now Facing Dismissal; Government says it will fire hydrologist. New York Times, Sept 16, 2015.
My comment:
(a) On Sept 12, I brought this matter to your attention with a posting titled "Sherry Chen 陈霞芬" which concerned a NBC news report.
(b) Most of the NYT report reiterates what we have already know. However, the last part of the NYT report is news, starting with:
"Her letter, which was dated Sept. 4, the Friday before Labor Day, gave Mrs. Chen 15 calendar days to reply. One of the reasons Ms Furgione cited for Mrs Chen’s dismissal was new.
(c) It seems to me, from a famous legal saga in Boston's federal district court, that firing is not final and a federal employee may appeal.
Lorraine Henderson rose from a low rank to the regional head of Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Department of Homeland Security, earning $140,000 a year. But she hired an illegal alien to do part-time house chore (she later said she did not know she was in US illegally). One day, US agents stopped the houskeeper and recruited her to tape record Henderson. The housekeeper was instructed to say she was in US illegally but intended to leave US now, to which Henderson responded, "If you leave, they won’t let you back. … You can’t leave, don’t leave.” US charged her for encouraging and inducing the Brazilian woman to remain in the US illegally. CBP suspended her -- without pay. A jury convicted her but the trial judge refused to sentence her. She remained free, worked at a pet store (PetSmart) as a part-tie cashier earning $10.25 an hour. After a few years,, when prosecutors pressed the judge for a decision, the judge allowed Henderson's motion for a new trial. Shortly before that, "she was recently awarded back pay in an appeal of her firing,"* Prosecutors dropped the charges, on the condition that she retire immediately, which she gladly did, with pension.