Category Archives: Joshua Schulte

Accused Vault7 leaker argues Espionage Act charges are unconstitutional

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A former Central Intelligence Agency employee accused of providing U.S. secrets to WikiLeaks is asking a judge to toss some of the key charges against him, asserting they are unconstitutional. A defense attorney for Joshua Schulte filed a motion on Tuesday asking a judge in the U.S. Southern District of New York to dismiss five charges prosecutors brought against Schulte under the Espionage Act and federal larceny law because they “are unconstitutionally overbroad and void for vagueness.” The Department of Justice charged Schulte in June 2018 in connection with leaking a collection of CIA hacking tools used for cyber-espionage to WikiLeaks, which published much of the data under the name “Vault 7.” Schulte also has been accused of possessing child pornography, smuggling cell phones into his Manhattan jail cell, plotting a disinformation campaign to discredit his accusers and other wrongdoing as part of a years-long legal battle that’s only poised […]

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Alleged CIA leaker’s attorneys now might have to become witnesses

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The bizarre legal wrangling in the case of an accused CIA leaker took another turn this week when lawyers for Joshua Schulte asked the court to appoint new representation in the event the existing attorneys need to testify at trial. Defense attorneys, in an Aug. 26 letter, ask Judge Paul Crotty of the Southern District of New York to divide the case and appoint new counsel over “an ethical issue” in the matter. Schulte was charged last year with allegedly leaking U.S. government secrets to WikiLeaks, eventually resulting in the so-called Vault7 files. Later he was charged with conspiring to leak information from jail. The current moves are associated with those accusations. The attorneys now say Sabrina Schroff, who represents Schulte now, and Matthew Larsen, who previously consulted with Schulte, can testify to the defendant’s mental state before the alleged transmission of classified information from within Manhattan’s Metropolitan Correctional Center. Understanding Schulte’s […]

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Man who allegedly leaked CIA hacking tools says he’s been tortured and is owed $50 billion

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A former CIA computer engineer compared himself to a victim of the Nazis and said the government has caused him to lose more than $50 billion in income in a new court filing accusing the U.S. Department of Justice of violating his civil rights. Joshua Schulte, a former software engineer, has filed a preliminary complaint seeking immediate release from federal detention, according to court documents filed earlier this month. Schulte was arrested in 2017, accused of crimes including sexual assault, possessing child pornography and, later, providing documents detailing CIA hacking capabilities to WikiLeaks. Schulte now argues that he has suffered “irreparable harm from torture imposed by the Federal Terrorists” and that he needs to be released in order to prepare a legal defense. The complaint was first noticed by independent journalist Marcy Wheeler. His argument asserts that there is no difference between pretrial detention and federal incarceration. It then goes on […]

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Hard drives in accused CIA leaker’s case were ‘misplaced’ after jailhouse search, prosecutors say

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Months after the government accused a former CIA computer engineer of leaking government secrets from behind bars, prosecutors said hard drives containing discovery materials in the case somehow has been “misplaced.” The announcement is the latest complication in a case that only has become more convoluted since it entered the public consciousness. The government said it intends to provide the defendant, Joshua Schulte, with a reproduction of the unclassified material. Prosecutors have accused Schulte, a former software engineer, of providing WikiLeaks with an archive of stolen documents — known as the Vault 7 files — detailing the agency’s surveillance and hacking capabilities. In a Feb. 12 court filing, U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman told Judge Paul Crotty “the government has consulted with the [New York City’s Metropolitan Correctional Center, where Schulte is being held] and understand that the hard drives containing the defendant’s discovery were misplaced.” The government, as a result, said it plans to provide Schulte […]

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Accused ‘Vault 7’ leaker to face new charges

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The Department of Justice is looking to issue new charges against a man who is alleged to have stolen classified data from the Central Intelligence Agency and given it to WikiLeaks. In filings Wednesday in federal court in New York, prosecutors asked to add three charges to Joshua Schulte’s indictment, stemming from alleged new attempts to leak information related to his case. In June, Schulte was charged with leaking a collection of U.S. hacking tools used for global spying. He’s suspected of transmitting the data to WikiLeaks, which then published the information under the name “Vault 7.” He was also charged with possession and transportation of child pornography. In May, prosecutors say Schulte passed classified information related to his case to his family members for purposes of dissemination to other third parties, including the media. After a hearing in which the court told Schulte to stop and that it would enforce rules surrounding the […]

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WikiLeaks Shares Alleged Diaries of Accused CIA Leaker Joshua Schulte

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The secret-spilling organization posted a series of first-person missives allegedly written by Joshua Schulte. The undated letters chronicle Schulte’s arrest and time in jail. Continue reading WikiLeaks Shares Alleged Diaries of Accused CIA Leaker Joshua Schulte→

Alleged CIA Leaker Tweeted That Chelsea Manning ‘Should Be Executed’

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Joshua Schulte posted a a series of tweets criticizing Chelsea Manning in 2010, when he was working at the CIA, and she had been identified as the source of WikiLeaks’ Afghanistan and Iraq War Logs. Continue reading Alleged CIA Leaker Tweeted That Chelsea Manning ‘Should Be Executed’→

Feds Raid Apartment of Suspected CIA Leaker, Find 10,000 Images of Child Porn

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Former CIA and NSA agent Joshua Schulte is being prosecuted on child porn-related charges, but not on charges related to allegedly leaking the “Vault 7” hacking tools to Wikileaks. Continue reading Feds Raid Apartment of Suspected CIA Leaker, Find 10,000 Images of Child Porn→