Former US Contractor Pleads Guilty to Spying for Ethiopia

A former US government contractor has admitted participating in an espionage conspiracy that supplied highly classified American national defence information to the Ethiopian government.

Abraham Teklu Lemma, a 53-year-old Maryland resident, entered the guilty plea in a case investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The US Department of Justice announced the development on Tuesday, November 3, identifying Ethiopia as the foreign government involved in the espionage operation.

Lemma previously worked as an information technology contractor at the National Reconnaissance Office, the Department of State and the Department of Justice.

His positions gave him access to sensitive government systems and classified information.

Contractor Held High-Level Security Clearance

According to the Justice Department, Lemma possessed a Top Secret US security clearance.

The authorisation allowed him to work in environments containing highly restricted national security materials.

Federal prosecutors said he exploited that access to obtain intelligence documents unrelated to his authorised duties.

He subsequently removed classified information from secure government facilities and transferred it to Ethiopian government contacts.

The activity involved materials classified as high as Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information, commonly known as TS/SCI.

The case illustrates how technical access to government systems can be misused when an authorised employee acts on behalf of a foreign government.

Intelligence Passed to Senior Ethiopian Officials

Court documents establish that Lemma worked with senior Ethiopian government officials between 2021 and his arrest in August 2023.

His contacts included individuals connected to Ethiopia's political leadership, military institutions and intelligence services.

The materials supplied included dozens of classified documents, intelligence notes, photographs and other sensitive records.

Much of the information concerned military developments during an armed conflict inside Ethiopia.

Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg said Lemma deliberately exploited his government access to transfer American defence information to Ethiopian officials.

The Justice Department described the conduct as a serious breach of the trust placed in personnel authorised to handle national security information.

US Officials Say Intelligence Supported Military Operations

The military significance of the information was a central issue in the case.

According to the Justice Department, Lemma wanted Ethiopian government officials to use the intelligence against paramilitary fighters opposing the government.

FBI Counterintelligence and Espionage Division Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky said the information supplied by Lemma was subsequently used by Ethiopian officials in military operations during the conflict.

The announcement did not identify the specific units targeted, disclose individual operations in which the material was used or provide independently established casualty figures linked to the intelligence.

Nevertheless, federal authorities presented the transfer as more than an unauthorised disclosure of classified information.

They described an espionage operation involving material relevant to active military operations.

Messages Included a Request for Drones

Investigators also documented communications between Lemma and Ethiopian government contacts.

On December 18, 2021, Lemma sent a message encouraging decisive action against armed groups fighting the Ethiopian government.

Later that day, he sent another message requesting drones.

Federal prosecutors cited the communications as evidence of his interest in supporting operations against those groups.

The public record does not establish that a specific drone strike was ordered or carried out because of Lemma's request.

His communications were nevertheless included among the important details disclosed in the November 3 guilty-plea announcement.

Classified Information Removed From Secure Facilities

The investigation identified methods Lemma used to bypass restrictions on the movement of classified information.

According to court documents, he wrote classified material into handwritten notes and carried them out of secure government premises.

He also used his administrator privileges to obtain electronic versions of restricted documents.

Earlier charging documents described the removal of classification markings and the use of encrypted communications to share intelligence with foreign contacts.

Authorities said the operation continued for more than two years before Lemma was arrested in August 2023.

Federal Prosecutors Respond to Guilty Plea

Senior US law enforcement officials described the case as a significant national security breach.

Assistant Attorney General John A. Eisenberg said individuals granted access to classified information had a duty to safeguard it regardless of their personal interests or foreign connections.

US Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro stated that Lemma had compromised the trust placed in him during his federal assignments.

FBI officials similarly emphasized that misuse of classified access would be investigated and prosecuted.

The investigation was conducted by the FBI Washington Field Office, with the Justice Department's National Security Division involved in the prosecution.

Sentencing Scheduled for April 2027

Lemma pleaded guilty to conspiracy to transmit national defence information to a foreign government.

Under the plea agreement, he has agreed to a prison term ranging from 120 to 262 months if the agreement is accepted by the court.

The period is equivalent to 10 years to 21 years and 10 months.

The sentencing hearing is scheduled for April 14, 2027.

No final prison sentence had been imposed at the time of the November 3 announcement.

The guilty plea marks a major development in an espionage prosecution that began with Lemma's arrest in 2023 and now directly identifies the Ethiopian government as the beneficiary of the classified information.