A former CIA software developer has been given a 40-year prison sentence on Thursday for being found guilty of what the government has deemed the largest theft of classified information in CIA history. In addition, the individual was also convicted of possessing images and videos depicting child sexual abuse.

The majority of the punishment given to 35-year-old Joshua Schulte in the federal court of Manhattan was due to the release of a large amount of classified CIA information by WikiLeaks in 2017. Schulte has been in custody since 2018.

It is unlikely that we will ever have a complete understanding of the extent of the harm, but Judge Jesse M. Furman stated with certainty that it was significant when delivering the punishment.

The release of information known as Vault 7 exposed the methods used by the CIA to hack into Apple and Android smartphones for surveillance purposes abroad, as well as their attempts to use internet-connected televisions as eavesdropping devices. Schulte, who was arrested, had previously contributed to the development of these hacking tools while working as a coder at the CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia.

According to Assistant U.S. Attorney David William Denton Jr., Schulte is accountable for the most destructive release of classified data in the history of the United States. He is seeking a life sentence for this offense.

When given the opportunity to speak, Schulte primarily expressed dissatisfaction with the difficult circumstances he faced at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, referring to his cell as his “torture cage.”

However, he also stated that the prosecution had previously proposed a plea bargain, suggesting a 10-year imprisonment, and he believed it was unjust for them to now pursue a life sentence. He expressed his opposition to the deal as it would have required him to waive his right to appeal.

Schulte stated that the government’s intention is not justice, but rather vengeance.

The judge immediately expressed disapproval of some of Schulte’s half-hour speech, stating that he was greatly surprised by Schulte’s lack of remorse and unwillingness to take responsibility.

The judge stated that Schulte’s actions were not motivated by altruism, but rather by anger, spite, and a perceived grievance against his colleagues at the agency. He believed they had disregarded his complaints about the work environment.

Furman stated that Schulte persisted in committing offenses even while in prison, attempting to disclose additional classified information and concealing a file on his computer with 2,400 images of child sexual abuse, which he continued to access while incarcerated.

In a two-hour session, Furman mentioned a single-page correspondence that the government received from CIA Deputy Director David S. Cohen. In the letter, Cohen described Schulte’s actions as having significantly harmed American national security and the CIA.

He stated, “The actions of Mr. Schulte resulted in significant financial losses for the Agency, hindered its ability to gather intelligence on America’s enemies, directly endangered CIA employees, programs, and resources, and compromised U.S. national security by hindering the CIA’s operations. In summary, Mr. Schulte’s actions had a detrimental impact on the United States.”

In the first trial of 2020, Schulte’s case was declared a mistrial due to the jury’s inability to reach a verdict on the more severe charges, such as unlawful collection and dissemination of national defense information. However, in the second trial held in July 2022, he was found guilty of offenses related to the unauthorized disclosure of classified information.

In the previous autumn, he was found guilty in a legal proceeding involving the possession of child pornography. The images and videos were discovered on a computer owned by Schulte after he left the CIA and relocated from Virginia to New York. The downloads occurred between 2009 and March 2017.

The judge characterized the trial as a violent and chaotic event where Mr. Schulte had no means of defending himself.

However, according to Furman, Schulte showed no sign of remorse for those offenses as well.

Furman stated that the majority of the 40-year sentence was imposed for the CIA theft, with the remaining six years and eight months being attributed to the convictions related to child sexual abuse materials.

Afterward, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams stated that Schulte had “betrayed his country” by engaging in “some of the most brazen, heinous crimes of espionage in American history.”

“When the FBI apprehended him,” Williams added, “Schulte persisted and attempted to inflict further damage on the country by launching what he referred to as an ‘information’ war, releasing classified information while incarcerated.”

Source: wral.com