Security
US Contractor Pleads Guilty to Passing Classified Secrets to Ethiopia
BBC · 2 hours ago · Read the Full Story on BBC
AI SUMMARY
An Ethiopian-born American citizen and former US contractor has pleaded guilty to passing classified intelligence to Ethiopia during the 2020 civil war.
- Abraham Teklu Lemma, a 54-year-old Ethiopian-born American citizen and former US contractor, pleaded guilty to conspiring to transmit national defense information to a foreign government.
- He admitted to sharing dozens of classified documents, photographs, satellite imagery, and military activity details with senior Ethiopian officials between 2021 and August 2023.
- He worked as a contractor at the State Department, Justice Department, and the National Reconnaissance Office, using his position as an IT administrator to extract electronic intelligence files.
- Prosecutors stated he hoped the intelligence would help Ethiopia's military identify and kill paramilitary fighters during the country's civil war.
- Court papers showed that in December 2021, he messaged an Ethiopian official urging them to finish people and requesting the dispatch of drones.
- He was arrested in Maryland in August 2023 following an investigation into his handling of classified intelligence.
- Under a plea agreement, he faces up to 22 years in prison, with sentencing scheduled for April 14, 2027.
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