Former US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) analysts have been sentenced to more than three years in prison for illegally retaining and sending Top Secret National Defense Information (NDI) to people who do not have the right to receive them, and for attempting to hide malicious activities.
Asif William Rahman, 34, of Vienna, is sentenced to 37 months in prison today for stealing and leaking classified information. He has been an employee of the CIA since 2016 and had the highest secret security clearance to access sensitive compartment information (SCI) after being arrested in Cambodia last November before he was fired from his job.
Earlier this January, Rahman pleaded guilty to two counts of intentional retention and communication of sensitive information related to national defense.
As previously reported in Hacker News, Rahman held multiple secret and secret documents without permission on October 17, 2024, without permission, took them to their residence in a backpack, and intentionally sent them to several individuals who did not have the necessary clearance to receive them.
“The defendant was able to photograph documents and transfer those images to a computer program, which allowed him to edit the images to hide the source and delete the activity,” according to court documents. “The defendant has also taken steps to hide his identity while illegally sharing confidential information with others.”
Some of these documents were related to Israel’s plans to attack Iran at that time. They eventually began circulating online after being posted to the telegram by an account called Middle Eastern Audience.
To conceal these actions, Rahman engaged in what the US Department of Justice (DOJ) described as a “Work Product Deletion Campaign” on his computer, sweeping around 1.5 GB of data from his emails and personal folders on his system. He also deleted and edited certain journal entries to hide his personal opinions about US policy.
“Asif Rahman violated his position of trust by illegally accessing, deleting and sending the highest secret documents essential to the national security of the United States and its allies,” said Eric S. Siebert, US lawyer for the Eastern District of Virginia.
“The urgency of Mr. Rahman being identified, arrested, charged and charged is evidence of the commitment and professionalism of the investigators and prosecutors who brought him to trial. This case should serve as a harsh warning to those who have chosen to set their own goals around loyalty to our country.”
Source link
