A government contractor with the State and Justice departments who had top security clearance was charged Thursday with aiding a foreign government spy.
Abraham Teklu Lemma, 50, a naturalized US citizen from Ethiopia, is accused of using his positions as an IT administrator for the State Department and a management analyst for the Justice Department to copy classified national defense information from intelligence reports and transmit the material to a foreign intelligence official, according to the DC US Attorney’s Office.
Lemma, who lives in Maryland, has been charged with gathering or delivering national defense information to aid a foreign government; conspiracy to gather or deliver national defense information to aid a foreign government; and having unauthorized possession of national defense information and willfully retaining it.
He could face the death penalty if convicted on the two espionage charges.
Unsealed court filings refer to the nation Lemma was spying for only as the “Relevant Country,” but multiple outlets report that it was Ethiopia.
“Between on or about December 19, 2022, and August 7, 2023, Lemma copied and pasted information from at least 85 Intelligence Reports regarding many topics — the majority of which relate to the Relevant Country,” the FBI’s complaint against Lemma reads.
“Lemma accessed these Intelligence Reports without a need to-know the classified information contained therein. During the same period, Lemma accessed at least an additional 48 Intelligence Reports without a need-to-know,” the complaint says.
“According to DOS records, Lemma has, on multiple occasions, also printed and downloaded SECRET and TOP SECRET classified information from the Intelligence Reports using the DOS system. The printed and downloaded material related primarily to the Relevant Country,” the complaint adds.
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It is further alleged that the accused spy used an encrypted messaging app to transmit the sensitive material to a foreign official associated with Ethiopia’s intelligence service, and that the two discussed the “military activities of a rebel group involved in an armed struggle against the government of the Relevant Country.”
“In these communications, Lemma expressed an interest and willingness to assist the foreign official in providing information,” the DC US Attorney’s Office said.
“In one communication, the foreign official stated, ‘[i]t’s time to continue ur support.’ Lemma responded, ‘Roger that!’ In another chat, the foreign official praised Lemma’s efforts, stating ‘[a]lways this beautiful country have [sic] some special people who scarify [sic] their life to protect our proud history. You always remembered. It doesn’t matter the results.’”
Lemma’s bank records indicate that after traveling to Ethiopia during the course of his illegal intelligence gathering efforts, he also deposited more than $55,000 in several batches to different banks.
The State Department revealed Thursday that Lemma’s alleged unauthorized gathering and disclosure of national security secrets was discovered after a “self-initiated 60-day Internal Security Review” implemented after Massachusetts Air National Guardsman Jack Teixiera’s April arrest for allegedly leaking classified defense documents online.
“During this review, information was uncovered indicating that a Department of State information technology contractor may have removed, retained, and transmitted classified national defense information without authorization,” the State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement.
“Moving forward, the Department will continue to implement recommendations from the Internal Security Review to strengthen how we provide access to [Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented] information, enhance continuous security monitoring, and protect sensitive information to minimize the risk of similar incidents in the future,” said Miller.
