Aldrich Ames, a former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officer convicted of espionage for the Soviet Union and Russia, died on Monday at the age of 84 while in federal custody in Maryland. Ames was serving a life sentence without parole following his conviction for providing classified U.S. information to Moscow between 1985 and 1994, an act that compromised numerous intelligence operations and led to the deaths of several agents. A Maryland medical examiner is scheduled to determine the cause of death.
Background and Career
Ames began his 31-year career with the CIA in 1962, initially serving as a document analyst. He advanced to become a case officer, specializing in operations targeting the Soviet Union, and later headed the CIA's Soviet counterintelligence department. His father had also worked as a CIA analyst.
In 1969, Ames married Nancy Segebarth, a fellow CIA agent, and was assigned to Turkey as a counterintelligence officer. By the early 1970s, after returning to the U.S., issues with alcohol reportedly surfaced, and his first marriage deteriorated. Despite security violations, he was assigned to Mexico City in 1981, where he met Maria del Rosario Casas Dupuy, a cultural attaché who later became his accomplice. He returned to the U.S. in 1983.
Espionage Activities
Ames initiated contact with the Soviet Embassy in Washington, D.C., in April 1985, offering to spy against the United States. He reportedly operated under the KGB code name "Kolokol" (The Bell). He admitted to receiving an initial payment of $50,000.
Between 1985 and his arrest in 1994, Ames confessed to receiving approximately $2.5 million from the Soviet Union and Russia for his activities, though some reports indicate a total of $3.8 million. One report stated the KGB allocated $2 million in appreciation for his information.
His disclosures included:
- The identities of numerous double agents, with reports stating more than 30 Western intelligence agents, specifically ten Russian and one Eastern European official who were collaborating with U.S. or British intelligence.
- Details on spy satellite operations, electronic eavesdropping methods, and general intelligence procedures.
- His actions were linked to the deaths of at least 10 CIA intelligence assets and Western agents operating in Eastern Bloc countries.
- His espionage compromised over 100 clandestine operations and represented a significant intelligence setback for the CIA during the Cold War.
Motivation and Personal Finances
Ames cited financial difficulties as his primary motivation, including escalating personal debts, support payments to his first wife, and funding expenses for Rosario. His acquisitions during this period included a new Jaguar car, foreign holidays, and a $540,000 house, which contrasted with his peak annual CIA salary of $70,000.
In court, Ames expressed "profound shame and guilt" for his actions. However, he also stated that he did not believe he had "noticeably damaged" the United States or "noticeably aided" Moscow, characterizing intelligence operations as a "sideshow" with minimal impact on significant security interests. He further questioned the overall value of extensive human intelligence networks to national leaders.
Investigation and Arrest
In the late 1980s, U.S. intelligence agencies, including the CIA and FBI, identified a pattern of arrests and executions of double agents providing information to the United States. Ames subsequently became a suspect within a joint interagency investigation into intelligence losses.
By 1993, the FBI launched a comprehensive, multi-year investigation that utilized physical and electronic surveillance. Surveillance teams reportedly observed Ames employing white chalk marks on mailboxes, which were interpreted as signals for his Russian contacts. He was arrested on February 21, 1994.
Legal Proceedings and Sentencing
Ames pleaded guilty to espionage and tax evasion, leading to a sentence of life imprisonment without parole. Prosecutors asserted that his activities deprived the United States of valuable intelligence for an extended period.
His wife, Maria del Rosario Casas Dupuy, was charged as an accomplice. She pleaded guilty to lesser espionage charges, acknowledging her awareness of his financial gains and meetings. She received a reduced sentence of 63 months in prison and was released after five years.
Impact and Reforms
Congressional investigators identified weaknesses in the CIA's procedures for managing employees under suspicion. A 1994 report by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence highlighted issues with Ames's conduct, including "drunkenness, disregard for security regulations, and sloppiness towards administrative requirements," and noted "glaring weaknesses" in the CIA’s career assignment protocols for employees suspected of compromising operations.
In response to the Ames case and a later similar case involving FBI Special Agent Robert Hanssen, the CIA and FBI implemented measures to enhance insider threat programs. These initiatives include increased scrutiny of personnel finances and travel, and expanded use of polygraph examinations to assess employee allegiance and suitability for those with access to sensitive data.
Related Cases
Ames's espionage occurred concurrently with that of FBI agent Robert Hanssen, who was apprehended in 2001 for selling secrets to Moscow. Hanssen died in prison in 2023. Reports vary on the amount Hanssen received, citing either $1.4 million or $2.1 million in cash and diamonds.