A former CIA employee, Joshua Schulte, has been sentenced to 40 years in prison for orchestrating the largest data leak in the agency’s history, handing over classified data to WikiLeaks in 2016.
Convicted in 2022 on charges including illegal gathering and transmitting national defense information, Schulte, a computer engineer within the CIA’s Center for Cyber Intelligence, created undetectable cyber tools. He defended himself in a trial, facing a hung jury in 2020 before a 2022 conviction.
Schulte’s actions, described as espionage and betrayal, resulted in severe damage to national security. The US Attorney’s Office revealed additional convictions in 2023 related to child pornography.
US Attorney Damian Williams emphasized the gravity of Schulte’s crimes, noting an attempt to wage an “information war” while collecting explicit material. FBI assistant director James Smith underscored the disturbing threat posed by Schulte’s conduct.
The CIA feud in 2015 led to Schulte’s resentment, escalating when officials considered hiring a contractor for a tool similar to his. Allegedly enraged, Schulte stole cyber tools and source code, transferring them to WikiLeaks a year later. Quitting the CIA in 2016, he was arrested in 2017 on child pornography charges, with the first Vault 7 leaks published by WikiLeaks originating from Schulte’s accessed programs.
Schulte’s attempts to cover his tracks, including lying to investigators, led to his indictment on charges related to the data breach. The sentencing reflects the severity of his actions, combining espionage, cyber theft, and child pornography.
