The information technology director of the Florida State Attorney's Office who testified that his employer withheld evidence from George Zimmerman's lawyers has been fired, according to CNN.

Ben Kruidbos was put on paid administrative leave on May 28 from his job. He testified before Zimmerman's trial began that the lawyer's representing the accused were not given several images from Trayvon Martin's cell phone, which contained pictures of marijuana, a photo of Martin blowing smoke and deleted text messages regarding the purchase of a firearm. Zimmerman is facing second-degree murder charges in the death of Martin. 

Kruidbos received a termination letter, dated July 11, on Friday, as jurors began working towards a verdict in Zimmerman's case.

"It has come to our attention that you violated numerous State Attorney's Office (SAO) policies and procedures and have engaged in deliberate misconduct that is especially egregious in light of your position," the letter states.

Kruidbos said he first learned that information was being withheld from Zimmerman's defense team when in late 2012 or early 2013, he printed a 900-page Florida Department of Law Enforcement report from Martin's cell phone. He noticed a significant amount of information was missing. The former IT director said his original report was three times the size of the one that had been given to Zimmerman's attorneys. There were 2,958 photos in the report that was given to the defense, but there were 4,275 in his original report. 

Concerned that lawyers didn't have sufficient information to prepare their case, Kruidbos said he expressed his concerns to an investigator at the State Attorney's Office and eventually to prosecutor Bernie de la Rionda.

Kruidbos' employer chided his assertion and motivation, claiming he had an agenda which was "nothing more than shameful manipulation in a shallow, but obvious, attempt to cloak yourself in the protection of the whistleblower law." Managing Director Cheryl R. Peek, of the State Attorney's Office, Fourth Judicial Circuit, accused Kruidbos of violating the Public Records Law, claiming he erased data from a laptop.

The defense said it did not get the complete report until a few days before the trial and were suspicious of the prosecution's delays in providing them with the information from Martin's phone, but they didn't know the full extent of the State Attorney's action until Kruidbos testified.  

Judge Debra Nelson said before Zimmerman's trial that the possibility of sanctions -- requested by the defense -- would be addressed after the verdict. 

Tags: george zimmerman trayvon martin