An Ethiopian-born American citizen has pleaded guilty to unlawfully transmitting national defense information to Ethiopia, U.S. authorities announced. Abraham Teklu Lemma, a former U.S. contractor, admitted to providing dozens of classified documents and photographs to senior Ethiopian officials over more than two years.
Prosecutors stated that Lemma, 54, shared information that he hoped would assist Ethiopian forces in targeting and killing fighters during the country's 2020 civil war. He faces up to 22 years in prison under a plea agreement, with sentencing scheduled for April.
Lemma had worked as a contractor for agencies including the State Department, Justice Department, and the National Reconnaissance Office. Between 2021 and his arrest in August 2023, he allegedly worked with high-ranking figures in Ethiopia's political, military, and intelligence sectors. He is accused of secretly removing classified material from secure government facilities, sometimes by transcribing sensitive information into handwritten notes. As an IT administrator, he also extracted electronic intelligence files.
Much of the highly classified information Lemma provided to the Ethiopian government pertained to the armed conflict within Ethiopia, according to prosecutors. This included satellite imagery and details of military activities, which he conveyed through encrypted messages. The FBI indicated that Ethiopian officials subsequently utilized this intelligence in military operations. In one communication in December 2021, Lemma wrote to an Ethiopian official, "We have to finish these people once and for all, otherwise there will never be peace in Ethiopia," and urged the official to "Please send Dro[nes]."
The revelations emerge against the backdrop of a devastating civil war that claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and displaced millions. The conflict, which began in November 2020, pitted Ethiopian federal forces and their allies against fighters from the northern Tigray region and was marked by widespread allegations of atrocities. A peace agreement was signed in November 2022, ending the main hostilities, though insecurity has persisted.
Lemma was arrested in Maryland in August 2023 following an investigation into his handling of classified intelligence. Prosecutors alleged at the time that he had removed security markings from intelligence reports and shared information with a foreign intelligence official. When asked by the official to continue providing assistance, Lemma reportedly replied, "Roger that!"
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro stated that Lemma "betrayed his oath, his colleagues, and his country, while jeopardizing our national security." John Eisenberg, the U.S. assistant attorney general for national security, added that Lemma "betrayed the United States to an extraordinary degree."