Former CIA officer gets 40 years for ‘largest data breach' in US history

By Gizem Nisa Cebi

ISTANBUL (AA) - A former CIA officer has been sentenced to 40 years in prison for espionage and computer hacking – reportedly one of the largest data breaches in US history – as well as handling child pornography and other charges, a federal court in New York City has announced.

Joshua Adam Schulte’s illegal transmission of stolen information to WikiLeaks constitutes the "largest data breach in CIA history," said a statement by the U.S. Attorney's Office of the Southern District of New York on Thursday.

Among his offenses, Schulte handed over an over 8,500-page document to WikiLeaks containing information about how the spy agency infiltrated not only Apple and Android software but also smart TVs, it added.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: "Joshua Schulte betrayed his country by committing some of the most brazen, heinous crimes of espionage in American history. He caused untold damage to our national security in his quest for revenge against the CIA for its response to Schulte’s security breaches while employed there."

-'Digital Pearl Harbor'

The prosecutors in the case said that the material released by Schulte significantly and detrimentally impacted the CIA's intelligence-gathering capabilities. They stressed that Schulte's actions threatened CIA personnel, projects, and documents, resulting in millions of dollars in damage to the organization.

"Mr. Schulte severely harmed U.S. national security and directly risked the lives of CIA personnel, persisting in his efforts even after his arrest," said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen.

During the trial, the ex-CIA Deputy Director of Digital Innovation said Schulte’s actions amounted to a "Digital Pearl Harbor," referring to the devastating 1941 Japanese attack on US naval forces in Hawaii.

Schulte, who denied the accusations against him, was found guilty in three separate trials, in 2020, 2022, and 2023, on such charges as illegally gathering and transmitting national defense information, making false statements, and receiving and transporting child pornography.