US contractor pleads guilty to spying for Ethiopia

A former US federal government IT subcontractor with Top Secret security clearance pleaded guilty Tuesday in Washington to spying for the Ethiopian government.

Abraham Teklu Lemma, a naturalized American citizen of Ethiopian descent, had worked as an IT subcontractor at the State Department and Department of Justice before his arrest in August 2023. He pleaded guilty before a federal judge to disclosing national defense information to a foreign government.

Lemma is due to be sentenced on April 14 and faces 120 to 262 months in prison.

US Justice officials said Lemma conspired to give senior Ethiopian government officials dozens of highly classified documents, notes, materials and photographs from 2021 until his arrest.

Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Eisenberg said Lemma used his IT administrator access to remove classified national defense information, including Top Secret material, from a secure facility and transmit it to Ethiopian officials. Eisenberg said Lemma hoped the officials would use the information to target and kill paramilitary fighters in a regional conflict.

Federal prosecutors said Lemma encouraged Ethiopian leaders to take action against paramilitary groups fighting the government. US officials did not specify the conflict.