US IT worker pleads guilty to sending Top Secret files to Ethiopia
Original title: US gov IT worker pleads guilty to sending Top Secret files to Ethiopia
Abraham Teklu Lemma, 53, agreed to 120 to 262 months after copying at least 133 intelligence reports.
Abraham Teklu Lemma, who held Top Secret clearance and worked for the National Reconnaissance Office, State Department, and Justice Department, pleaded guilty to transmitting classified material to Ethiopian officials. Prosecutors say he copied Secret and Top Secret reports without authorization, removed markings, carried discs out of a SCIF, and sent files through an encrypted messaging app. The Justice Department said officials used the information in military operations. He also made bank deposits exceeding $66,000.
Unconfirmed: The complaint dated the start to July 2022, while the Justice Department later said offending began in 2021.
- He worked across US agencies from 2019 to 2023 and held Top Secret clearance since 2020.
- Prosecutors say he downloaded more than 100 documents and kept copies on personal drives.
- Ethiopian officials remotely accessed those drives between April and June 2023, prosecutors claim.
- Contacts included senior Ethiopian political, military, and intelligence officials.
- Activity continued until around August 2023, according to court documents.
Impact: Secret and Top Secret defense information sent to Ethiopian officials
- Countries
- United StatesEthiopia
From the original article
3 min read at theregister.comHelp desk technician agrees to minimum 10-year jail term after being caught copying files for more than 2 years
By Connor Jones · theregister.com
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