United States prosecutes former CIA officer John Kiriakou under the Espionage Act for identifying a covert colleague to a journalist
Former CIA officer John Kiriakou, who in 2007 was the first CIA officer to publicly describe the agency's waterboarding of a detainee, pleaded guilty to identifying a covert colleague to a journalist and was sentenced under the Espionage Act to 30 months in prison.1234
- Country
- United States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)
- Where
- United States
- Level of government
- National
- Tactic
- Secrets and espionage laws
- Stage
- Punish (see the ladder)
- Head of government at the time
- Barack Obama
- Issue of the day
- Public disclosure of the CIA's post-September 11 interrogation program, including its use of waterboarding.
- Outcome
- Upheld by a court, February 3, 2015. Kiriakou served his full 30-month sentence under the plea agreement and was released in February 2015; no CIA interrogation-program official faced comparable charges.
- Era
- The 2010s
What happened
John Kiriakou, a former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officer, said publicly in a 2007 television interview that the CIA had waterboarded a detainee, the first time an agency officer had confirmed the practice, which international bodies have called torture. Federal prosecutors later charged Kiriakou under the Espionage Act, a 1917 law against disclosing defense information, for identifying a covert CIA officer to a freelance journalist investigating the interrogation program; the journalist did not publish the name. Kiriakou pleaded guilty in October 2012 to one count of passing information to a person not authorized to receive it. U.S. Attorney Neil MacBride said Kiriakou "put the life of a covert officer at risk." On January 25, 2013, Judge Leonie Brinkema sentenced him to 30 months, the statutory minimum under his plea agreement, saying she "wished she could have imposed a greater sentence." No CIA official involved in the interrogation program was prosecuted.1234
What reason was given
U.S. Attorney Neil MacBride said, "John Kiriakou put the life of a covert officer at risk; he put the officer's family in danger; and he exposed our nation's vital secrets." Prosecutors also said Kiriakou was motivated by "fame and money."1
What changed for reporting
Kiriakou, not the journalist he spoke with, was prosecuted and imprisoned; press-freedom advocates said the case showed sources faced Espionage Act prosecution for contact with reporters even when no story identifying the covert officer was published.2
Timeline
2013
Who acted
| Name | Role in this incident | Office at the time |
|---|---|---|
| Barack Obama | other | President of the United States (2009-2017) |
| John Kiriakou | other | Former Central Intelligence Agency officer |
| Leonie Brinkema | ordered | Judge, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia |
| Neil MacBride | ordered | U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia |
Sources
Claims cited
- U.S. Attorney Neil MacBride said Kiriakou endangered a covert officer and exposed vital secrets.
John Kiriakou put the life of a covert officer at risk; he put the officer's family in danger; and he exposed our nation's vital secrets.
Former CIA Officer Gets 30 Months in Prison for Leak, ABC News, 2013-01-25. Claim 220, checked 2026-09-22. - Judge Leonie Brinkema said she wished she could have imposed a longer sentence than the plea agreement allowed.
wished she could have imposed a greater sentence.
Former CIA Officer Gets 30 Months in Prison for Leak, ABC News, 2013-01-25. Claim 221, checked 2026-09-22. - Prosecutors said Kiriakou's disclosures were motivated by fame and money.
motivated by fame and money
Former CIA Officer Gets 30 Months in Prison for Leak, ABC News, 2013-01-25. Claim 222, checked 2026-09-22. - Prosecutors said Kiriakou's conduct amounted to a campaign to raise his media profile.
concerted campaign to raise his media profile.
Former CIA Officer Gets 30 Months in Prison for Leak, ABC News, 2013-01-25. Claim 223, checked 2026-09-22.