A former CIA analyst was sentenced today to 37 months in prison for unlawfully retaining and transmitting Top Secret National Defense Information, which later appeared on public social media platforms in October 2024.
According to court documents, Asif William Rahman, 34, of Vienna, worked for the CIA since 2016 and held a Top Secret security clearance with access to Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) until his arrest, which resulted in the termination of his employment.
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“For months, this defendant betrayed the American people and the oaths he took upon entering his office by leaking some of our Nation’s most closely held secrets,” said John Eisenberg, Assistant Attorney General for National Security. “As this case demonstrates, the Department of Justice will continue to protect our nation by vigorously investigating and prosecuting leakers who compromise our nation’s security.”
“Asif Rahman violated his position of trust by illegally accessing, removing, and transmitting Top Secret documents vital to the national security of the United States and its allies,” said Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “The urgency with which Mr. Rahman was identified, arrested, charged, and prosecuted is a testament to the commitment and professionalism of the investigators and prosecutors who brought him to justice. This case should serve as a stern warning to those who choose to place their own goals over their allegiance to our nation.”
“By stealing and divulging classified information and then attempting to conceal his crimes, Asif Rahman not only violated the law; he also betrayed his oath as a government employee and his responsibility to the American people,” said Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division. “Now he will pay the price for putting American lives and U.S. national security at risk. Let this be a warning to all clearance holders: The FBI will exhaust all avenues to find and bring to justice anyone — no matter who they are — who endangers our nation by disclosing sensitive information without authorization.”
On October 17, 2024, Rahman accessed and printed two Top Secret documents containing national defense information related to a U.S. ally’s planned operations against a foreign adversary. He removed, photographed, and transmitted these documents to individuals he knew were not authorized to see them. By the next day, October 18, the documents had surfaced on multiple social media platforms, still bearing their classification markings. Rahman then began deleting related work content from his Top Secret workstation.
Throughout 2024, including through November, Rahman continued accessing and printing classified materials—some at the Top Secret and compartmented levels—and sharing them with unauthorized individuals.
A grand jury indicted Rahman on November 7, 2024, and the FBI arrested him on November 12, as he arrived for work. He pleaded guilty on January 17 to two counts of willfully retaining and transmitting classified national defense information and has remained in custody since his arrest.
The FBI Washington Field Office led the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Troy A. Edwards Jr. (Eastern District of Virginia) and Trial Attorney Christopher Cook (National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section) prosecuted the case.
