Former US Contractor Admits Sharing Secrets With Ethiopia

Abraham Teklu Lemma, a 54-year-old former US government contractor from Maryland, pleaded guilty on November 3 for conspiring to pass information concerning national security to Ethiopia. Prosecutors said he held an IT position with the State Department, Justice Department and National Reconnaissance Office.

For more than two years, from 2021 until his arrest in August 2023, Lemma provided classified information to senior Ethiopian officials, prosecutors said. An FBI affidavit filed in 2023 alleged that he forwarded highly classified images from satellites and sensitive reports using an encrypted messaging app. The information reached Ethiopian military and intelligence branches, and FBI officials said Lemma admitted it was used in military operations.

Prosecutors said Lemma urged an Ethiopian contact in a December 2021 message to act against government opponents. The Justice Department has not publicly identified the operations that used the intelligence or said whether anyone was killed as a result. Ethiopia’s government has made no public statement on the case.

The disclosures started amid Ethiopia’s 2020–2022 conflict pitting federal forces against Tigrayan fighters. Although a peace deal brought that war to a close, clashes returned in September; fighters allied with the government reached Tigray’s capital, Mekelle, on October 4, after the Tigray People’s Liberation Front withdrew.

Lemma’s plea agreement calls for a prison term of 10 years to 21 years and 10 months, subject to court approval. He is scheduled to be sentenced on April 14, 2027.

A Contractor’s Espionage Shows the Stakes of Secret Intelligence

Abraham Teklu Lemma’s guilty plea lays bare the human stakes when highly classified intelligence reaches a foreign military. The former US contractor admitted on November 3 to conspiring to pass information concerning national security to Ethiopia, where officials used what he supplied in military operations.

Prosecutors said Lemma shared information with Ethiopian officials in senior positions for a period exceeding two years, from 2021 until his arrest in August 2023. An FBI affidavit alleged that he forwarded highly classified images from satellites and sensitive reports using an encrypted messaging app. The information reached Ethiopian military and intelligence branches.

The disclosures started amid Ethiopia’s 2020–2022 conflict pitting federal forces against Tigrayan fighters. Although a peace deal brought that war to a close, clashes returned in September. Fighters allied with the government reached Mekelle on October 4 after the Tigray People’s Liberation Front withdrew. The Justice Department has not publicly identified the operations that used Lemma’s intelligence or said whether anyone was killed as a result.

The case demands accountability for the breach and serious scrutiny of how sensitive information is handled. Lemma’s plea agreement provides for 10 years to 21 years and 10 months in prison, subject to court approval. Sentencing is scheduled for April 14, 2027.

Espionage Guilty Plea Underscores the Need to Guard US Secrets

A former US contractor entrusted with highly classified information admitted he passed it to a foreign government. Abraham Teklu Lemma pleaded guilty on November 3 for conspiring to pass information concerning national security to Ethiopia, where officials used the intelligence in military operations.

Prosecutors said Lemma held positions with the State Department, Justice Department and National Reconnaissance Office, and provided information to Ethiopian officials in senior roles for a period exceeding two years. An FBI affidavit alleged he forwarded highly classified images from satellites and sensitive reports using an encrypted messaging app. The intelligence reached Ethiopia’s military and intelligence branches before Lemma’s arrest in August 2023.

This was a serious breach of the trust placed in people with access to national security information. The case makes clear why those who compromise classified material must face prosecution and why access safeguards matter. The Justice Department has not publicly identified the operations that used the intelligence or said whether anyone was killed as a result.

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