Additional Coverage:
Infamous CIA Turncoat Aldrich Ames Dies in Prison at 84
WASHINGTON – Aldrich Ames, the former CIA officer responsible for one of the most devastating intelligence breaches in U.S. history, has died in a Maryland prison at the age of 84. A spokesperson for the Bureau of Prisons confirmed Ames’s death on Monday.
Ames, a 31-year veteran of the Central Intelligence Agency, admitted to receiving $2.5 million from Moscow for classified U.S. secrets between 1985 and his arrest in 1994. His extensive betrayals included the identities of ten Russian officials and one Eastern European who were secretly working for the United States or Great Britain.
He also compromised spy satellite operations, eavesdropping techniques, and general intelligence procedures. These disclosures are widely attributed to the executions of Western agents operating behind the Iron Curtain and constituted a significant setback for the CIA during the Cold War.
He pleaded guilty to espionage and tax evasion, foregoing a trial, and was subsequently sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Prosecutors highlighted that Ames deprived the United States of crucial intelligence material for years.
While expressing “profound shame and guilt” for his “betrayal of trust, done for the basest motives” of financial gain, Ames notably downplayed the extent of the damage he inflicted. He told the court he did not believe he had “noticeably damaged” the United States or “noticeably aided” Moscow, characterizing “these spy wars” as a “sideshow” with no real impact on national security interests. He further questioned the overall value derived by world leaders from extensive networks of human spies.
In a jailhouse interview with The Washington Post prior to his sentencing, Ames stated that “financial troubles, immediate and continuing” were the primary motivators for his actions.
According to an FBI historical account of the case, Ames was working in the Soviet/Eastern European division at the CIA’s headquarters in Langley, Virginia, when he first made contact with the KGB. He continued to pass secrets to the Soviets during his stationing in Rome with the CIA and after his return to Washington. Concurrently, the U.S. intelligence community was grappling with the alarming frequency of agents being compromised by Moscow.
Ames’s espionage career overlapped with that of FBI agent Robert Hanssen, who was apprehended in 2001 for selling secrets to Moscow for $1.4 million in cash and diamonds. Hanssen died in prison in 2023.
Ames’s wife, Rosario, pleaded guilty to lesser espionage charges for assisting his spying and served 63 months in prison.