THE DAILY EDITION · 4 NOVEMBER 2026
Former U.S. contractor pleads guilty to spying for Ethiopia
Why this story?
The guilty plea sets out that a contractor with access to U.S. government systems passed Top Secret material to Ethiopian officials over a multi-year period.
A former U.S. government contractor pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit espionage for Ethiopia after prosecutors said he used his information technology access to remove and transmit classified national defense material, including Top Secret files. Abraham Teklu Lemma, 53, of Maryland, worked as an information technology contractor at the National Reconnaissance Office, the State Department and the Justice Department, according to the Justice Department. (P1, P2, P4)
Court documents say Lemma held a Top Secret security clearance and, from 2021 until his arrest in August 2023, conspired with senior Ethiopian officials to collect and send dozens of classified documents, notes, materials and photographs, some at the Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information level. The government said much of the material concerned an armed conflict in Ethiopia and that the alleged recipients included officials in the political, military and intelligence branches. (P3)
The Justice Department said Lemma agreed to be incarcerated for between 120 and 262 months. Assistant Attorney General John A. Eisenberg said Lemma transmitted information to Ethiopian officials who hoped to use it to target and kill paramilitary fighters in a regional conflict. (P2)