Guilty of the largest theft of classified information in CIA history, Joshua Schulte was sentenced Thursday to 40 years in prison. He orchestrated the “Vault 7” leak in 2017, disclosed by WikiLeaks.
Imprisoned since 2018, Joshua Schulte was sentenced, Thursday 1er February 2024, 40 years in prison. A former software engineer at the prestigious CIA, he was convicted of the Vault 7 leak, known for its revelations of the American agency’s cyberespionage and cyberwarfare activities. Among the information revealed, we find elements of hacking Android smartphones and iPhones, as well as the transformation of connected televisions into listening devices.
The CIA’s Worst Secrets Revealed by Joshua Schulte
The 40-year sentence, decided by Manhattan federal court, is largely attributed to the disclosure of CIA secrets by WikiLeaks. You surely remember this non-profit association, created in December 2006 by Julien Assange, which has since revealed numerous scandals.
The judge, Jesse Matthew Furman, revealed according to our colleagues at ABC News, his conviction about the extent of the damage caused by Schulte’s actions. For him, ” we will probably never know the full extent of the damage, but I am convinced that it was enormous “, he said.
The Vault 7 leak, which exposed the CIA’s worst hacks to the general public, exposed the US agency’s global espionage activities, including hacking of Apple and Android smartphones. And Schulte, a former developer of the agency, was involved in the development of these different tools, which obviously adds an ironic dimension to his condemnation, he who only “served” his country.
Assistant United States Attorney David Williams Denton Jr. argued for a life sentence. Joshua Schulte, now 35, has had his actions described as “ Most Damaging Disclosures of Classified Information in American History “. The defendant obviously contested this requested sentence, indicating that he had agreed not to appeal the future decision.
The defendant even tried to disclose critical new documents from prison
While the judge was not as vindictive as the assistant prosecutor, he nonetheless criticized Schulte’s lack of remorse. According to him, it was anger that motivated him more than altruism. He did not fail to add that behind bars, the former CIA engineer had tried to disclose more documents supposed to remain secret, and that he even created a file containing images of sexual abuse of children.
Schulte’s actions have been described as having caused considerable damage to the CIA, at all levels. The latter are estimated at several hundred million dollars, in addition to endangering personnel or degrading the agency’s ability to collect intelligence, not to mention the impacts on its image. The judge also added to the proceedings a letter from the current number 2 of the CIA, David Samuel Cohen, highlighting the exceptionally serious harm caused to national security.
Let’s not forget that Joshua Schulte had already been tried in 2020, but the trial collapsed as the jurors were unable to reach an agreement. In 2022, he was then convicted of charges related to the classified leak. And last fall, it was for this possession of images that he fell, elements also described as “ bloodbath » by the judge. This time, it is for all of his work that the developer will pay.
Source : ABC News
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