Software Engineer Convicted For Stealing CIA Secrets

A former CIA software engineer was convicted on Wednesday (Thursday, July 14, 2022, in Manila) of federal charges accusing him of the worst theft of sensitive information in CIA history, Larry Neumeister and Tom Hays reported for the Associated Press (AP).

Photo Insert: Prior to his arrest, Schulte had worked as a coder at the agency's headquarters in Langley, Virginia, on the hacking tool.

Joshua Schulte, who elected to defend himself in a retrial in New York City, claimed in his closing remarks that the CIA and FBI made him a scapegoat for WikiLeaks' embarrassing 2017 revelation of CIA secrets to the public.

HuffPost also reported that Schulte did not react visibly as US District Judge Jesse M. Furman announced the guilty decision on nine counts mid-afternoon on Monday. The jury had deliberated since Friday.

The so-called Vault 7 leak disclosed how the CIA hacked Apple and Android cellphones as part of overseas eavesdropping operations and plans to convert internet-connected televisions into listening devices.

Prior to his arrest, Schulte had worked as a coder at the agency's headquarters in Langley, Virginia, on the hacking tools.

A date for Schulte's sentencing was not immediately scheduled since he is still awaiting trial on counts of possessing and transporting child pornographic material. He entered a not-guilty plea.

Sabrina Shroff, who represented Schulte during the trial, described the verdict to Schulte's mother as a “kick to the gut, the brain and heart.” It was unclear whether Shroff expressed her own thoughts or Schulte's.

Schulte argued in his conclusion that he was picked out despite the fact that “hundreds of people had access to (the information)...Hundreds of people could have stolen it. The government’s case is riddled with reasonable doubt. There’s simply no motive here.”

WEEKLY FEATURE : MVP Group Keeps Lights On During Pandemic