Anyone who sends a stranger their photograph, selfie with their drivers' license, a WORK business card or ID, a pay stub, their linkedin, a COMPANY email address or website, they deserve everything they get. Fake IDs are 400$, and come complete with web presence and whatever else you might like to have, including linkedin with fake companies and even references. If "pharma executives" are giving away this kind of personal information and not even bothering to get a fakie, well, again they deserve everything they get. As a person with an active security clearance, I know the rules, and the ones in the story who have this clearance as well, they know the rules, and they ought to hang for the violations of that law that they committed. Kind of like other dudes with security clearances who keep documents in the glovebox of their prized automobile, or the other one who kept them in his filing cabinet in his office, or one who kept them in his son's rented house, or one who kept them on the coffee table of her home which was 3000 miles away and occupied by her homosexual husband who entertained drug addicts. Rules are there for a fucking reason.
You mention "back east", are the screening rules different out there in the California? Totally avoid indies myself because I don't do screening besides I might do a Skype video call or something. No pussy is worth going to prison for or having strangers up in my biz.