US IT Worker Pleads Guilty to Espionage for Transmitting Top Secret Files to Ethiopia
An IT specialist with Top Secret clearance has pleaded guilty to espionage charges for transmitting classified US government documents to Ethiopia, admitting to accessing and copying over 100 intelligence reports without authorization.
Abraham Teklu Lemma, a 53-year-old naturalized US citizen, has admitted to espionage offenses and agreed to a prison term between 120 and 262 months, the Department of Justice announced. Lemma, who held Top Secret security clearance since 2020, worked in various IT roles across multiple sensitive government agencies, including the State Department, the Justice Department, and the National Reconnaissance Office, between 2019 and 2023. His positions granted him significant access to classified systems and information.
Lemma possessed "downdraft" authority, allowing him to move classified files between secure systems and unclassified files from classified to unclassified systems. However, his access to classified files on non-DoS systems required specific written approval, and he operated within a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF). Despite these protocols, prosecutors allege that Lemma began accessing intelligence reports without proper authorization as early as 2021.
Court documents reveal that Lemma copied information from at least 133 intelligence reports without the necessary need-to-know authorization. He allegedly downloaded over 100 documents, burned them onto CDs labeled for unclassified material, and deleted their classification markings. These discs, along with handwritten notes taken from classified material, were reportedly smuggled out of the SCIF in his jacket pocket.
The transmission of sensitive information to Ethiopian officials began around August and September 2022, according to prosecutors. Lemma allegedly used an encrypted messaging app to send documents, photographs, maps, and other data related to Ethiopia. Ethiopian officials reportedly solicited specific details about command centers, logistics, military compounds, and other sensitive matters.
Communications also extended to geopolitical topics, with Lemma allegedly discussing situations in an unnamed African country bordering Ethiopia and providing encouragement for actions against paramilitary groups involved in conflicts there. One message reportedly stated, "We have to finish these people once and for all, otherwise there will never be peace in Ethiopia."
Further complicating the case, Lemma is accused of storing copies of classified files on his personal storage drives, which were allegedly accessed remotely by Ethiopian officials multiple times between April and June 2023. The investigation also uncovered significant financial activity, with Lemma making bank deposits totaling over $66,000 during the period of his alleged espionage, including an instance where he discouraged bank staff from filing a currency transaction report for a deposit exceeding $10,000.
"Despite swearing an oath to defend the Constitution of the United States, Abraham Lemma betrayed our country by committing espionage on behalf of the Ethiopian government," stated Roman Rozhavsky, assistant director at the FBI's Counterintelligence and Espionage Division. "By his own admission, Lemma provided classified national defense information to Ethiopian officials, who then used it in military operations during an ongoing conflict."
The FBI emphasized that this guilty plea serves as a warning to foreign intelligence services and individuals who might collaborate with them against U.S. interests. The case highlights the persistent threat of insider espionage and the critical need for robust security protocols and monitoring within government IT infrastructure.