Sources: Former CIA employee charged with espionage

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Justice Department and the FBI are expected to announce Friday that a former CIA employee has been charged with espionage, sources told CNN.

The former CIA employee, who was reportedly fired recently, has been charged with attempting to pass information to "multiple countries," according to sources familiar with the probe.

Officials would not identify the man, saying the charges against him are under seal. The sources did say the suspect is in custody and was scheduled to appear Friday in U.S. District Court in Washington before Judge Norma Holloway Johnson. The suspect's name, and more details, may be released at that time.

Justice sources said the case, while important, is not as significant as two other recent CIA espionage cases. But law enforcement officials are concerned because it represents the third major case filed against CIA personnel in the last four years.

Aldrich Ames was arrested four years ago and pleaded guilty to providing the former Soviet Union with the names of at least 11 U.S. operatives. Some were thought to be killed because of that information.

Harold Nicholson pleaded guilty last year to selling secrets to Russia. He was the highest-ranking CIA officer ever convicted of espionage.

Justice Correspondent Pierre Thomas contributed to this report.

Related stories:

• CIA turncoat sentenced to 23 years in prison - June 5, 1997
• CIA spy pleads not guilty to espionage charges - December 20, 1996
• Accused CIA spy pleads not guilty - November 27, 1996
• Veteran CIA official charged with spying - November 18, 1996

Related sites:

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• United States Department of Justice
• Federal Bureau of Investigation
• Central Intelligence Agency
• News and information about the Federal Courts

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