Ethiopian-American Pleads Guilty to Spying for Ethiopia, Faces Up to 22 Years in U.S. Prison
Prosecutors said Abraham Teklu Lemma shared dozens of classified files and images with Ethiopian officials to aid military operations and target fighters.
- On Tuesday, November 3, Ethiopian-born American citizen and former government contractor Abraham Teklu Lemma pleaded guilty to conspiring to transmit highly classified national defense information to Ethiopian officials.
- Holding Top Secret/SCI clearance, Abraham extracted sensitive documents and satellite imagery from the State Department, Justice Department, and National Reconnaissance Office between 2021 and his arrest in August 2023.
- Prosecutors said Lemma sought to aid Ethiopian officials in targeting paramilitary fighters, writing, "We have to finish these people once and for all," and urging, "Please send Dro."
- Under his plea agreement, Lemma faces a recommended sentence of 120 to 262 months in prison, with formal sentencing scheduled for April 14, 2027, before Senior Judge John D. Bates.
- U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro said the contractor "xploited a position of trust" and "betrayed his oath, his colleagues, and his country, while jeopardizing our national security.
10 Articles
10 Articles
US contractor secretly passed top-secret intelligence to Ethiopia for more than two years as Washington reveals how American secrets reached a wartime government
A former US government contractor has pleaded guilty to conspiring to spy for Ethiopia after secretly passing highly classified American intelligence to senior officials in Addis Ababa, including information he hoped would help the government target fighters during the country's 2020–2022 civil war.
Former US government IT contractor leaked classified data to Ethiopia
On November 3, Abraham Teklu Lemma, a former US IT contractor, pleaded guilty to conspiring to provide defense information to the Ethiopian government. According to the US Department of Justice, he spent over two years passing classified materials...
Abraham Teklu Lemma, a former US IT contractor, pleaded guilty on November 3 to conspiring to transfer defense information to the Ethiopian government. According to the US Department of Justice, for more than two years he handed over classified materials to senior Ethiopian officials that he had access to
Ethiopian-American Pleads Guilty to Spying for Ethiopia, Faces Up to 22 Years in U.S. Prison
Abraham Teklu Lemma, a naturalized U.S. citizen of Ethiopian descent and former U.S. government IT contractor, pleaded guilty on November 3 to conspiring to transmit highly classified national defense information to Ethiopian government officials, potentially exposing him to nearly 22 years in prison.
Former U.S. Government Contractor Admits Passing Top-Secret Intelligence to Ethiopia – 100PercentFedUp.com – by Jack
A former federal IT contractor admitted passing Top Secret U.S. intelligence to Ethiopian officials. Prosecutors say he removed classified material from secure facilities and urged action against paramilitary fighters.
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 57% of the sources lean Right
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
