John Solly, a software program engineer and former member of the so-called Division of Authorities Effectivity (DOGE), is the DOGE operative reportedly accused in a whistleblower grievance of telling colleagues that he saved delicate Social Safety Administration (SSA) information on a thumb drive and needed to share the knowledge along with his new employer, a number of sources inform WIRED.
Since October, in line with a replica of his résumé, Solly has labored because the chief expertise officer for the well being IT division of a authorities contractor referred to as Leidos, which has already obtained thousands and thousands in SSA contracts and will obtain as much as $1.5 billion in contracts with SSA based mostly on a five-year deal it signed in 2023. Solly’s private web site and LinkedIn have been taken offline as of this week.
Responding to a request for remark, Solly, via his authorized counsel, denied participating in any wrongdoing. A spokesperson for Leidos additionally stated the corporate discovered no proof supporting the whistleblower’s claims towards Solly.
Solly was considered one of 12 DOGE workforce members at SSA, the place, in line with the résumé on his private web site, he supported “different DOGE engineers on initiatives together with Digital SSN, Dying Grasp File cleanup,” and “SSN verification API (EDEN 2.0).” The “dying grasp file” is an SSA database containing thousands and thousands of Social Safety data of deceased folks and is maintained in order that their identities can’t be used for fraud. An API, or utility programming interface, permits completely different applications to speak to one another, together with pulling information and data from one another. On this case, it may enable Social Safety information to be accessed by businesses and establishments outdoors of SSA.
The allegation was revealed in a grievance filed to SSA’s inner watchdog first reported earlier this week by The Washington Submit, which didn’t identify Solly or Leidos. In accordance with the Submit, the grievance was filed with the SSA’s Workplace of the Inspector Basic earlier this 12 months and alleges that the previous DOGE worker informed coworkers he took copies of the SSA’s Numerical Identification System, or NUMIDENT, in addition to the “dying grasp file.” NUMIDENT is a grasp SSA database containing all info included in a Social Safety quantity utility, together with full names, delivery dates, race, and extra personally identifiable info.
Within the grievance, in line with the Submit, a whistleblower alleges that the previous DOGE worker sought assist transferring a set of information from a thumb drive to a private pc so he may “sanitize” it earlier than importing it to be used at a private-sector firm. The previous DOGE worker allegedly stated that he anticipated to obtain a presidential pardon if his actions had been illegal, the grievance reportedly said.
Solly “didn’t share, entry, or view any personally identifiable info (PII) maintained by SSA, together with SSA’s Dying Grasp File (DMF) and Numerical Identification System (Numident). The allegations made by a supposedly nameless supply are obviously false and slanderous. Mr. Solly will take all acceptable steps to clear his good identify and stellar repute,” says Seth Waxman, who’s representing Solly. “He’s sure that any truthful overview of the information and circumstances surrounding these spurious allegations will absolutely exonerate him.”
Leidos is a serious contractor for SSA. Between 2010 and 2018, the corporate introduced in thousands and thousands of {dollars} in SSA IT contracts. In 2018, Leidos was awarded contracts doubtlessly price as much as $639 million for IT assist companies and processing incapacity claims. In 2023, the corporate introduced that it had been awarded an estimated $1.5 billion IT contract with the company. As a part of DOGE’s blitz into the US authorities in early 2025, Leidos, like many authorities contractors, noticed a few of its contracts reduce.
