Ex-CIA engineer convicted of biggest theft of secret information in agency's history
Fox News
Former CIA programmer Joshua Schulte was convicted Wednesday for the Vault 7 breach to WikiLeaks, considered one of the most brazen and damaging acts of espionage in U.S. history.
Danielle Wallace is a reporter for Fox News Digital covering politics, crime, police and more. Story tips can be sent to danielle.wallace@fox.com and on Twitter: @danimwallace.
The so-called Vault 7 leak revealed how the CIA hacked Apple and Android smartphones in overseas spying operations, and efforts to turn internet-connected televisions into listening devices. Prior to his arrest, Schulte had helped create the hacking tools as a coder at the agency’s headquarters in Langley, Virginia.A sentencing date was not immediately set because Schulte still awaits trial on charges of possessing and transporting child pornography. He has pleaded not guilty.
Attorney Sabrina Shroff, who advised Schulte during the trial, told Schulte’s mother after the verdict that the outcome was a "kick to the gut, the brain and heart." It was unclear if Shroff was expressing her own sentiments or Schulte’s.In his closing, Schulte claimed he was singled out even though "hundreds of people had access to (the information). … Hundreds of people could have stolen it."