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Agence France-Presse

A former CIA programmer was sentenced to 40 years in prison on Thursday for leaking the US spy agency’s most valuable hacking tools to WikiLeaks.
Joshua Schulte, 35, was found guilty in 2022 of espionage and other charges in what the CIA called a “digital Pearl Harbour” – the largest data breach in the history of the intelligence agency.
“Schulte betrayed his country by committing some of the most brazen, heinous crimes of espionage in American history,” US Attorney Damian Williams said in a statement.
“He caused untold damage to our national security in his quest for revenge against the CIA for its response to Schulte’s security breaches while employed there.”

US District Judge Jesse Furman sentenced Schulte to 40 years in prison for espionage, computer hacking, contempt of court, making false statements to the FBI and child pornography.
Schulte worked for the CIA’s elite hacking unit from 2012 to 2016 when he quietly took cyber tools used to break into computer and technology systems, according to court documents.
After quitting his job, he sent them to WikiLeaks, which began publishing the classified data in March 2017.
“Schulte’s theft and disclosure immediately and profoundly damaged the CIA’s ability to collect foreign intelligence against America’s adversaries; placed CIA personnel, programs, and assets directly at risk; and cost the CIA hundreds of millions of dollars,” prosecutors said.
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The leaked data included a collection of malware, viruses, trojans, and “zero day” exploits that, once leaked out, were available for use by foreign intelligence groups, hackers and cyber extortionists around the world, they said.
Schulte was an early suspect after WikiLeaks began publishing the secrets, but was quietly charged in September 2017 only with having a large cache of child pornography on his computer.
Charges related to the theft and transmission of national defence information, under the Espionage Act, were added later.
In 2020, a jury convicted him on two lesser charges of lying and contempt of court, but it was hung on the other charges.


In 2022, a new jury convicted Schulte on eight counts under the Espionage Act and one count of obstruction. He was convicted of child pornography charges last year.
The leak spurred the US government to consider tough action against WikiLeaks, which then-CIA director Mike Pompeo called a “hostile intelligence service”.
The US government then moved to indict WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on espionage charges. Assange is currently in Britain fighting extradition to the United States.


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United States

40 years in prison for ex-CIA coder Joshua Schulte, who leaked hacking tools to WikiLeaks

Joshua Schulte (centre) is flanked by his lawyers during jury deliberations in New York in March 2020. Courtroom sketch: Elizabeth Williams via AP

A giant billboard in Melbourne in September calls for the release of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. Photo: AFP

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A mural of imprisoned Australian journalist Julian Assange is seen painted on the side of a building in Sydney last month. Photo: EPA-EFE

A mural of Julian Assange is seen painted on the side of a building in Sydney last month. The Australian journalist has been imprisoned in Britain since April 2019 as the US government fights a legal battle to extradite him. Photo: EPA-EFE

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the AUSMIN forum in Brisbane last month, where he said Assange had “risked very serious harm” to America’s national security. Photo: dpa

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he would stand firm against the United States over the persecution of Assange. Photo: dpa

Protesters gather outside the UK Home Office in London to demand Julian Assange’s release last year. Photo: Getty Images/TNS

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Stella Moris, partner of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, arrives at Belmarsh prison in London before their wedding on Wednesday. Photo: Reuters

Figurines are displayed on a wedding cake before it was cut by Stella Moris after she married WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in a small service held inside the high-security Belmarsh Prison in London on Wednesday. Photo: AP

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Protesters in London call for the release of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. Photo: EPA

CORRECTION / Julian Assange's partner Stella Moris attends a briefing with members of the media in London on October 25, 2021, ahead of the appeal of the extradition of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to the US. - The US will on on October 27, 2021 begin its appeal to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to the United States to face trial for publishing US secrets, after a British judge blocked their request in January. (Photo by DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS / AFP) / “The erroneous mention[s] appearing in the metadata of this photo by DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS has been modified in AFP systems in the following manner: [Stella Moris] instead of [Stella Morris]. Please immediately remove the erroneous mention[s] from all your online services and delete it (them) from your servers. If you have been authorized by AFP to distribute it (them) to third parties, please ensure that the same actions are carried out by them. Failure to promptly comply with these instructions will entail liability on your pa

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The former programmer was found guilty of espionage and other charges in a massive data breach that the US intelligence called a ‘digital Pearl Harbour’
Schulte, who worked for the CIA’s elite hacking unit, took the cyber tools used to break into systems and sent them to WikiLeaks after he quit his job


Joshua Schulte was found guilty of espionage and other charges in a massive data breach that the US intelligence called a ‘digital Pearl Harbour’.
