Related Federal Cases
Oregon Spy Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy
Harold James Nicholson, a 59-year-old former CIA employee, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to act as an agent of a foreign government and conspiracy to commit international money laundering on [date]. Nicholson, who is currently serving a 283-month sentence at the Federal Correctional Institution in Sheridan, Ore., for a 1997 conviction of conspiracy to commit espionage, admitted to acting on behalf of the Russian Federation from 2006 to December 2008.
Nicholson, who took an oath to protect the nation’s security, betrayed that oath by passing information to the Russian Federation and receiving cash proceeds for his past espionage activities. He admitted to meeting with his son, Nathaniel, on several occasions at FCI Sheridan to provide information intended for the Russian Federation.
Nathaniel, who was instructed by his father on how to covertly travel with the funds from the Russian Federation and disperse them to family members, traveled to several locations, including San Francisco, Mexico City, Lima, Peru, and Nicosia, Cyprus, to meet with agents of the Russian Federation. At these meetings, Nathaniel provided the Russian Federation with information from his father and collected money for his past espionage activities.
The maximum penalties for the crimes Nicholson pleaded guilty to are five years in prison and a fine of $250,000 for conspiracy to act as an agent of a foreign government, and 20 years in prison and a fine of $500,000 for conspiracy to commit international money laundering.
The plea agreement states that both parties will ask the court to impose an eight-year prison sentence to be served consecutive to the sentence Nicholson is currently serving. Judge Anna J. Brown has scheduled sentencing for January 18, 2011, at 1:30 p.m.
Assistant Attorney General for National Security, David Kris, praised the work of the many agents, analysts, and prosecutors who worked on this matter, saying, ‘Harold Nicholson, one of the highest-ranking CIA officials ever convicted of espionage, dispatched his son around the globe to collect on past espionage debts from Russian agents.’
U.S. Attorney for Oregon, Dwight C. Holton, stated, ‘Harold Nicholson has admitted not only betraying his country – again – but also betraying his family by involving his son Nathaniel in his corrupt scheme to get more money for his past espionage activities.’
Key Facts
- State: Oregon
- Category: Public Corruption|White Collar Crime|Espionage
- Source: DOJ Press Release ↗
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