Former CIA Employee Bags 40-Year Sentence For Largest Agency Data Leak.
By Caroline Ameh
Joshua Schulte, a former CIA computer engineer, has been sentenced to 40 years in prison for orchestrating the most extensive data leak in the agency’s history. The verdict was announced by the US Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of New York on Thursday.
Schulte, accused of providing classified information to WikiLeaks in 2016, faced charges including illegal gathering and transmission of national defense information, obstruction of a criminal investigation, and possession of child pornography. The latter charges were brought in 2023, further complicating Schulte’s legal situation.
Operating within the CIA’s Center for Cyber Intelligence, Schulte crafted undetectable cyber tools capable of extracting data from computers. The 2022 conviction revealed his involvement in leaking classified data and hindering investigations. In 2023, he was found guilty of child pornography-related charges, adding another layer of severity to his crimes.
US Attorney Damian Williams condemned Schulte’s actions, describing them as “some of the most brazen, heinous crimes of espionage in American history,” emphasizing the damage caused to national security.
Schulte’s clashes with the CIA began in 2015 when he feuded with management and a colleague, leading to a restraining order against the latter. The dispute resulted in both Schulte and his co-worker being transferred. Investigators asserted that Schulte’s resentment grew when the CIA sought an external contractor to replicate a cyber tool he was developing.
In 2016, Schulte resigned from the CIA, but his vendetta persisted. WikiLeaks published the initial installment of its Vault 7 leaks in March 2017, originating from programs accessible to Schulte. The release raised questions about the CIA’s hacking capabilities and authority, citing an anonymous source. Schulte’s arrest on child pornography charges followed in August 2017, with subsequent indictments relating to the data breach.
FBI Assistant Director James Smith underscored the severity of Schulte’s actions, stating, “The sentence imposed reflects the magnitude of the disturbing and harmful threat posed by his criminal conduct.”
Schulte’s case serves as a stark reminder of the potential repercussions of insider threats within intelligence agencies and the intricate nature of balancing national security concerns with personal vendettas.
