# United States prosecutes former CIA officer John Kiriakou under the Espionage Act for identifying a covert colleague to a journalist

Published 2026-09-22. Last reviewed 2026-09-22. 1 source.

Status: historical, as of 2026-09-22.

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.[1][2][3][4]

- Country: [United States](https://thewaronnews.com/countries/us) (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)
- Where: United States
- Level of government: National
- Tactic: Secrets and espionage laws
- Stage: Punish (ladder: https://thewaronnews.com/ladders/secrets_and_espionage_laws#stage-punish)
- Head of government at the time: [Barack Obama](https://thewaronnews.com/leaders/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.[1][2][3][4]

## 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

- 2013-01-25: United States prosecutes former CIA officer John Kiriakou under the Espionage Act for identifying a covert colleague to a journalist

## Who acted

| Name | Role in this incident | Office at the time |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [Barack Obama](https://thewaronnews.com/actors/barack-obama) | other | President of the United States (2009-2017) |
| [John Kiriakou](https://thewaronnews.com/actors/john-kiriakou) | other | Former Central Intelligence Agency officer |
| [Leonie Brinkema](https://thewaronnews.com/actors/leonie-brinkema) | ordered | Judge, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia |
| [Neil MacBride](https://thewaronnews.com/actors/neil-macbride) | ordered | U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia |

## Sources

1. Former CIA Officer Gets 30 Months in Prison for Leak. https://abcnews.com/Blotter/john-kiriakou-30-months/story?id=18314999 (ABC News, 2013-01-25).

## Claims cited

[1] U.S. Attorney Neil MacBride said Kiriakou endangered a covert officer and exposed vital secrets. Quote: "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." Source: ABC News, 2013-01-25. Former CIA Officer Gets 30 Months in Prison for Leak. https://abcnews.com/Blotter/john-kiriakou-30-months/story?id=18314999 Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/220, checked 2026-09-22.

[2] Judge Leonie Brinkema said she wished she could have imposed a longer sentence than the plea agreement allowed. Quote: "wished she could have imposed a greater sentence." Source: ABC News, 2013-01-25. Former CIA Officer Gets 30 Months in Prison for Leak. https://abcnews.com/Blotter/john-kiriakou-30-months/story?id=18314999 Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/221, checked 2026-09-22.

[3] Prosecutors said Kiriakou's disclosures were motivated by fame and money. Quote: "motivated by fame and money" Source: ABC News, 2013-01-25. Former CIA Officer Gets 30 Months in Prison for Leak. https://abcnews.com/Blotter/john-kiriakou-30-months/story?id=18314999 Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/222, checked 2026-09-22.

[4] Prosecutors said Kiriakou's conduct amounted to a campaign to raise his media profile. Quote: "concerted campaign to raise his media profile." Source: ABC News, 2013-01-25. Former CIA Officer Gets 30 Months in Prison for Leak. https://abcnews.com/Blotter/john-kiriakou-30-months/story?id=18314999 Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/223, checked 2026-09-22.

Source page: https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2012-us-john-kiriakou-espionage-act-cia-torture-source. The War On News, CC BY 4.0.