Abraham Teklu Lemma, a 50-year-old naturalized U.S. citizen of Ethiopian descent and residing in Maryland, worked as an IT administrator for the Department of State and a management analyst for the Department of Justice. …

“Lemma then removed the information, which was classified as SECRET and TOP SECRET, from secure facilities at the Department of State against protocol. The materials related to a specific country and/or geographic region. Lemma accessed, copied, removed, and retained this information without authorization,” the DOJ explained.

Between January 2022 and July 2023, Lemma deposited over $55,000 into a U.S. bank, according to the FBI’s criminal complaint.

The FBI’s criminal complaint revealed that Lemma allegedly copied and pasted information from at least 85 intelligence reports. The majority of the documents were related to the “Relevant Country.” Neither the FBI nor the DOJ revealed which country Lemma was allegedly spying for; however, multiple media outlets reported that it was for Ethiopia.

(via Off the Press)

[Not the first country that would come to mind for a deep penetration like this, but a good reminder that most countries have spies and the US is an attractive target for many reasons. I’d bet on a plea deal for something less than a life sentence, and some embarrassed apologies from Ethiopia’s government. If this involved a more hostile nation, there wouldn’t be any consideration given. — Ed]