State, Justice Contractor Charged with Espionage for Ethiopia

Lemma, a naturalized U.S. citizen originally from Ethiopia, faces multiple charges including conspiracy to gather or deliver national defense information and unauthorized possession of the same.

U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, alongside Assistant Director in Charge David Sundberg of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, announced the charges.

Lemma served as an IT administrator at the Department of State and held the role of a Management Analyst at the Department of Justice. This professional alignment granted him a TOP SECRET security clearance, opening doors to classified systems.

A series of events, transpiring between December 19, 2022, and August 7, 2023, have been pointed out in the criminal complaint. Lemma allegedly made copies of Intelligence Reports, ensuring the deletion of classification markings. He removed this sensitive data, stamped as SECRET and TOP SECRET, from the secure premises of the Department of State – an act that directly contradicts established protocols. The compromised material reportedly revolves around a particular country or geographical region (presumably Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa).

The investigation further claims that Lemma relied on encrypted applications to communicate and transfer the classified defense information to an overseas official linked with that country's intelligence operations. The messages exchanged showed Lemma’s eagerness to provide this official with the required information. One of the officials was recorded saying, “[i]t’s time to continue ur support,” to which Lemma promptly responded, “Roger that!"

If convicted, Lemma could face a potential death penalty or lifetime imprisonment for the espionage charges. The retention charge, on the other hand, carries a maximum sentence of ten years. A federal judge will weigh in on the final sentence, keeping the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors in mind.