Security News > 2023 > September > US govt IT help desk techie 'leaked top secrets' to foreign nation

Abraham Lemma, 50, a Silver Springs, Maryland resident and a naturalized United States citizen who was born in Ethiopia, was detained on August 24 after allegedly sending classified US national defense information to an Ethiopian intelligence agent.

Crucially, Lemma was an IT help desk technician assigned to the Bureau of Intelligence and Research with the US Department of State since at least 2021.

Oddly enough, Lemma's alleged espionage activities came to light during an investigation into the DOS's handling of national defense information following the arrest of Air National Guardsman Jack Teixeira, who has been accused of leaking classified Pentagon documents on Discord, earlier this year.

According to a criminal complaint against him, between December 19, 2022 and August 7, 2023, Lemma copied, printed, and downloaded classified and top-secret information from more than 100 US intelligence reports, the majority of these relating to Ethiopia, without authorization.

"Review of Lemma's US Bank 1 account records further revealed that Lemma made several large deposits, totaling in excess of $55,000, into US Bank 1 between January 1, 2022 until July 17, 2023," according to the criminal complaint.

Lemma has been charged with delivering national defense information to aid a foreign government, conspiracy to deliver national defense information to aid a foreign government, and the willful retention of national defense information.

News URL

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2023/09/21/it_help_desk_guy_arrested/