An Ethiopian-born American citizen has pleaded responsible to passing extremely labeled intelligence to Ethiopia, together with data he hoped would assist goal and kill fighters through the nation’s 2020 civil warfare.
Abraham Teklu Lemma, a former US contractor, admitted sharing dozens of labeled paperwork and images with senior Ethiopian officers over greater than two years, the US Division of Justice mentioned.
“In doing so, he betrayed his oath, his colleagues, and his nation, whereas jeopardizing our nationwide safety,” mentioned US Lawyer Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
The 54-year-old faces as much as 22 years in jail below a plea settlement, with sentencing scheduled for subsequent April.
Abraham had labored as a contractor on the State Division, Justice Division and Nationwide Reconnaissance Workplace, the company chargeable for US intelligence satellites.
Prosecutors mentioned Abraham labored with senior figures in Ethiopia’s political, navy and intelligence institutions between 2021 and his arrest in August 2023.
He secretly eliminated labeled materials from safe authorities amenities, generally copying delicate data into handwritten notes that he carried out of the buildings. He used his place as an IT administrator to extract digital intelligence information.
“A lot of the extremely labeled data Lemma shared with the Ethiopian authorities involved an armed battle in Ethiopia,” prosecutors mentioned.
The data included satellite tv for pc imagery and particulars of navy actions, which he handed to Ethiopian officers via encrypted messages.
The FBI mentioned Ethiopian officers subsequently used intelligence provided by Abraham in navy operations.
Prosecutors mentioned he hoped the data would assist Ethiopia’s navy establish and kill paramilitary fighters.
“Lemma betrayed america to a rare diploma,” mentioned John Eisenberg, the US assistant legal professional common for nationwide safety.
In a single message to an Ethiopian official in December 2021, he wrote: “We now have to complete these folks as soon as and for all, in any other case there’ll by no means be peace in Ethiopia,” court docket papers confirmed.
Later that day, he shared additional intelligence and urged the official: “Please ship Dro[nes].”
