James A. Wolfe, Making False Statements to FBI, Maryland 2023

WASHINGTON – James A. Wolfe, a 57-year-old former staff employee of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, has been indicted and arrested on charges of making false statements to FBI agents. Wolfe, of Ellicott City, Maryland, was Director of Security for the SSCI for approximately 29 years.

As Director of Security, Wolfe was entrusted with access to classified SECRET and TOP SECRET information. He is alleged to have lied to FBI agents in December 2017 about his repeated contacts with three reporters, including through his use of encrypted messaging applications.

The indictment alleges that Wolfe made false statements to the FBI about providing two reporters with non-public information related to the matters occurring before the SSCI.

“The Attorney General has stated that investigations and prosecutions of unauthorized disclosure of controlled information are a priority. The allegations in this indictment are doubly troubling as the false statements concern the unauthorized disclosure of sensitive and confidential information,” said Assistant Attorney General John C. Demers.

“Mr. Wolfe’s alleged conduct is a betrayal of the extraordinary public trust that had been placed in him,” said U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu. “It is hoped that these charges will be a warning to those who might lie to law enforcement to the detriment of the United States.”

Wolfe was arrested on June 7, 2018 and is expected to make his first appearance Friday, June 8, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland. The case is entitled United States v. James A. Wolfe, and the matter has been assigned to the Honorable Ketanji Brown Jackson in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

The charges in the indictment are merely allegations, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. The maximum penalty for each count of making a false statement to federal law enforcement agents is five years in prison.

The investigation into this matter is being conducted by the FBI’s Washington Field Office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the District of Columbia, with assistance from the Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.”

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