US Contractor Shared Classified Secrets with Ethiopia to Target Tigray Fighters

Abraham Teklu Lemma, an Ethiopian-born American citizen and former IT contractor for the U.S. government, has pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit espionage on behalf of the Ethiopian government. Lemma, who held a Top Secret security clearance while working for agencies including the State Department and Department of Justice, admitted to sharing dozens of highly classified U.S. documents, notes, materials, and photographs with senior Ethiopian officials between 2021 and his arrest in August 2023. These materials, classified up to the Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information level, primarily related to an armed conflict within Ethiopia.

Prosecutors indicated that Lemma's motivation was to assist Ethiopian officials in targeting and eliminating paramilitary fighters involved in the regional conflict. He reportedly urged his Ethiopian contacts to undertake direct military action, including the use of drones. To accomplish his espionage, Lemma misused his IT administrator access to extract classified information from secure facilities and even manually removed handwritten notes containing sensitive data.

Lemma's sentencing is set for April 14, 2027, where he faces a potential prison term ranging from 120 to 262 months, or approximately 10 to 22 years. U.S. officials have condemned his actions as a significant betrayal of trust and a threat to national security.