Aldrich
Hazen Ames
Aldrich
Hazen Ames was arrested by the FBI in Arlington,
Virginia on espionage charges on February 24, 1994.
At the time of his arrest, Ames was a 31-year veteran
of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), who had
been spying for the Russians since 1985. Arrested
with him was his wife, Rosario Ames, who had aided
and abetted his espionage activities.
Following
guilty pleas by both Ames and his wife on April 28,
1994, Ames was sentenced to incarceration for life
without the possibility of parole. Rosario Ames was
sentenced on October 20, 1994 to 63 months in prison.
Ames
was a CIA case officer, who spoke Russian and specialized
in the Russian intelligence services, including the
KGB, the USSR's foreign intelligence service. His
initial overseas assignment was in Ankara, Turkey,
where he targeted Russian intelligence officers for
recruitment. Later, he worked in New York City and
Mexico City, Mexico. On April 16, 1985, while assigned
to the CIA's Soviet/ East European Division at CIA
Headquarters in Langley, Virginia, he secretly volunteered
to KGB officers at the USSR Embassy, Washington,
D.C. Shortly thereafter, the KGB paid him $50,000.
During the summer of 1985, Ames met several times
with a Russian diplomat to whom he passed classified
information about CIA and FBI human sources, as well
as technical operations targeting the Soviet Union.
In December 1985, Ames met with a Moscow-based KGB
officer in Bogota, Colombia. In July 1986, Ames was
transferred to Rome, Italy.
In
Rome, Ames continued his meetings with the KGB, including
a Russian diplomat assigned in Rome and a Moscow-based
KGB officer. At the conclusion of his assignment
in Rome, Ames received instructions from the KGB
regarding clandestine contacts in the Washington,
D.C. area, where he would next be assigned. In addition,
the KGB wrote to Ames that he had been paid $1.88
million by them in the four years since he volunteered.
Upon his return to Washington, D.C. in
1989, Ames continued to pass classified documents
to the KGB, using "dead drops" or prearranged
hiding places where he would leave the documents
to be picked up later by KGB officers from the USSR
Embassy in Washington. In return, the KGB left money
and instructions for Ames, usually in other "dead
drops."
In
the meantime, the CIA and FBI learned that Russian
officials who had been recruited by them were being
arrested and executed. These human sources had provided
critical intelligence information about the USSR,
which was used by U.S. policy makers in determining
U.S. foreign policy. Following analytical reviews
and receipt of information about Ames's unexplained
wealth, the FBI opened an investigation in May, 1993.
FBI
Special Agents and Investigative Specialists conducted
intensive physical and electronic surveillance of
Ames during a ten-month investigation. Searches of
Ames's residence revealed documents and other information
linking Ames to the Russian foreign intelligence
service. On October 13, 1993, Investigative Specialists
observed a chalk mark Ames made on a mailbox confirming
to the Russians his intention to meet them in Bogota,
Colombia. On November 1st, Special Agents observed
him and, separately, his Russian handler in Bogota.
When Ames planned foreign travel, including a trip
to Moscow, as part of his official duties, a plan
to arrest him was approved.
Following
their arrest and guilty pleas, Ames was debriefed
by FBI Special Agents, at which time he detailed
compromising the identities of CIA and FBI human
sources, some of whom were executed by USSR authorities.
Pursuant to his plea agreement, he forfeited his
assets to the United States, and $547,000 was turned
over to the Justice Department's Victims Assistance
Fund. Ames is serving his sentence in the federal
prison system. Rosario Ames completed her sentence
and was released.
