A former U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) analyst has been sentenced to little more than three years in prison for unlawfully retaining and transmitting top secret National Defense Information (NDI) to people who were not entitled to receive them and for attempting to cover up the malicious activity.
Asif William Rahman, 34, of Vienna, has been sentenced today to 37 months on charges of stealing and divulging classified information. He was an employee of the CIA since 2016 and had Top Secret security clearance to access Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) until he was terminated from his job after he was arrested last November in Cambodia.
Earlier this January, Rahman pleaded guilty to two counts of willful retention and transmission of classified information related to the national defense.
As previously reported by The Hacker News, Rahman retained multiple Secret and Top Secret documents without authorization on October 17, 2024, took them to his place of residence in a backpack, and wilfully sent them to several individuals who did not have the necessary clearance to receive them.
"The defendant photographed the documents and transferred those images to a computer program that allowed him to edit the images to attempt to conceal their source and delete his activity," according to court documents. "The defendant also took steps to conceal his identity while unlawfully sharing classified information with others."
Some of these documents were related to Israel's plans to attack Iran around that time. They eventually began circulating online after they were posted on Telegram by an account called Middle East Spectator.
To cover up these acts, Rahman engaged in what the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) described as a "deletion campaign of work product" on his computer, wiping roughly 1.5 GB of data from his email and personal folder on his system. He also deleted and edited certain journal entries to conceal his personal opinions on U.S. policy.
"Asif Rahman violated his position of trust by illegally accessing, removing, and transmitting Top Secret documents vital to the national security of the United States and its allies," said Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.
"The urgency with which Mr. Rahman was identified, arrested, charged, and prosecuted is a testament to the commitment and professionalism of the investigators and prosecutors who brought him to justice. This case should serve as a stern warning to those who choose to place their own goals over their allegiance to our nation."