Former US Contractor Pleads Guilty to Passing Classified Intelligence to Ethiopia

Abraham Teklu Lemma, a 54-year-old former U.S. government information technology contractor, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to conspiring to transmit national defense information to a foreign government. Lemma, a naturalized American citizen of Ethiopian descent residing in Silver Spring, Maryland, previously held a Top Secret security clearance. He worked as a subcontractor for the State Department, the Department of Justice, and the National Reconnaissance Office.

Details of the Espionage

According to the U.S. Department of Justice and federal prosecutors, Lemma's activities spanned from 2021 until his arrest in August 2023. During this period, he allegedly provided dozens of highly classified documents, photographs, and notes to senior Ethiopian officials. Some of the materials provided carried the Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI) classification, a designation for information whose unauthorized disclosure could cause "exceptionally grave damage to US national security."

Prosecutors stated that Lemma used his position as an IT administrator to extract electronic intelligence files and move information from secure government systems. He also allegedly concealed his actions by copying classified information into handwritten notes, which he then carried out of secure government facilities. An FBI affidavit filed in 2023 alleged that Lemma sent top-secret satellite imagery and classified reports to Ethiopian government operatives through an encrypted messaging application.

Connection to Military Operations

Lemma admitted that the intelligence he supplied was used by Ethiopian officials in military operations. According to the U.S. attorney’s office in Washington, Lemma urged Ethiopian officials to deploy drones against fighters battling the government. In a December 2021 message, Lemma reportedly wrote to an Ethiopian contact, “We have to finish these people once and for all, otherwise there will never be peace in Ethiopia.” Following that message, he requested, “Please send drones.”

While U.S. officials did not name the specific armed groups targeted by the intelligence, the timeline of Lemma's disclosures coincides with the 2020–2022 war between Ethiopia's federal forces and Tigrayan fighters. During that conflict, researchers at Belgium’s Ghent University estimated that 500,000 civilians died due to violence, famine, and the collapse of health services. Although a peace agreement was reached in November 2022, fighting resumed in September 2026.

Legal Consequences

Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Eisenberg stated that Lemma "exploited his IT administrator access to remove classified national defence information, including Top Secret information, from a secure facility and transmitted it to Ethiopian government officials hoping they would use it to target and kill paramilitary fighters in a regional conflict."

Lemma's plea agreement provides for a prison term of between 10 years and 21 years and 10 months, subject to the court's acceptance. He is scheduled to be sentenced on April 14, 2027.

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Sources

• thestar.com: US contractor admits passing US top-secret information to Ethiopia in its war against rebels
• ctinsider.com: US contractor admits passing US top-secret information to Ethiopia in its war against rebels
• ottumwacourier.com: US contractor admits passing US top-secret information to Ethiopia in its war against rebels | National News | ottumwacourier.com
• ua.news: Former US contractor admits passing secret data to Ethiopia | UA.NEWS
• africa.businessinsider.com: © Members of Amhara region militias ride on their truck as they head to face the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), in Sanja, Amhara region near a border with Tigray, Ethiopia 9 November 2020. REUTERS/Tiksa Negeri | Business Insider Africa
• nst.com.my: US government IT contractor admits spying for Ethiopia

This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.