FORMER U.S. GOVERNMENT CONTRACTOR PLEADS GUILTY TO ESPIONAGE CONSPIRACY INVOLVING TOP SECRET INTELLIGENCE PROVIDED TO ETHIOPIA

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A former U.S. government information technology contractor pleaded guilty on November 3, 2026, to conspiring to transmit classified national defense information to the government of Ethiopia. Abraham Teklu Lemma, 53, of Maryland, admitted to exploiting his access to secure federal intelligence systems to obtain and deliver highly classified information to senior Ethiopian officials, including materials concerning an armed conflict in the country.

Lemma previously worked as an information technology contractor at the National Reconnaissance Office, the U.S. Department of State, and the U.S. Department of Justice. His positions provided access to sensitive government information, and he held a Top Secret security clearance. According to federal court documents, Lemma used that access to collect classified intelligence and transmit it to foreign government representatives over a period exceeding two years.

The conspiracy operated from 2021 until Lemma’s arrest in August 2023. During that period, he obtained and shared dozens of classified documents, handwritten notes, photographs, and other materials with Ethiopian government officials. Some of the information was classified at the Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI) level, placing it among the most closely protected categories of U.S. national security information.

Federal investigators determined that Lemma’s foreign contacts included senior officials within Ethiopia’s political, military, and intelligence organizations. Much of the intelligence he transmitted concerned an ongoing armed conflict involving Ethiopian government forces and opposing paramilitary groups. According to the Justice Department, Lemma provided information that could assist Ethiopian authorities in conducting military operations against those forces.

Lemma used several methods to remove classified information from secure government facilities without authorization. He manually copied sensitive intelligence into handwritten notes, which he then carried outside restricted areas. He also exploited his administrative access to retrieve electronic classified information from protected government repositories and remove it from facilities where he worked. These activities allowed him to transfer information from secure federal systems into his possession for delivery to his foreign contacts.

Court records also describe communications in which Lemma encouraged Ethiopian officials to take military action against armed groups opposing the government. On December 18, 2021, he told one foreign government contact, “We have to finish these people once and for all, otherwise there will never be peace in Ethiopia.” Later that day, after sharing additional information, he sent another message requesting, “Please send Dro[nes].” The communications demonstrated his involvement in efforts to assist Ethiopian military operations beyond the unauthorized disclosure of classified intelligence.

The Justice Department stated that Lemma’s actions compromised information protected under some of the federal government’s highest security classifications. Information designated Top Secret is classified at that level because its unauthorized disclosure could reasonably be expected to cause exceptionally grave damage to U.S. national security. The transmission of TS/SCI materials to foreign government officials represents a serious breach of the security obligations imposed on individuals entrusted with access to classified systems.

Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg condemned the espionage conspiracy, stating that Lemma abused his information technology privileges to remove highly sensitive intelligence and provide it to Ethiopian officials. Eisenberg emphasized that the defendant sought to assist operations against paramilitary fighters during the regional conflict, violating the responsibilities associated with holding a federal security clearance.

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro for the District of Columbia described the case as a significant betrayal of public trust and national security. FBI Counterintelligence and Espionage Division Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky stated that, by Lemma’s own admission, the classified information he provided was used by Ethiopian officials in military operations. FBI Washington Field Office Assistant Director in Charge Darren B. Cox also emphasized the national security consequences of exploiting authorized access to protected government information.

Lemma pleaded guilty to conspiracy to transmit national defense information to a foreign government. Under the terms of his plea agreement, he has agreed to a prison sentence ranging from 120 to 262 months, equivalent to 10 years through 21 years and 10 months, subject to the court’s acceptance of the agreement. His sentencing is scheduled for April 14, 2027.

The FBI Washington Field Office conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tejpal Chawla and Adam P. Barry for the District of Columbia, together with Trial Attorney Kathryn DeMarco of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, are prosecuting the case.

The prosecution exposes the national security risks created when individuals with authorized access to classified government systems deliberately use their positions to assist foreign governments. Lemma’s conduct involved the extraction of protected intelligence through both physical and electronic methods, demonstrating how insider access can be exploited to bypass security protections intended to prevent unauthorized disclosures. His guilty plea establishes criminal responsibility for participating in the espionage conspiracy, with the final sentence to be determined by the federal court in April 2027.

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