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Former CIA Employee Sentenced to 8 More Years in Prison
PORTLAND, Ore. – Harold James Nicholson, 59, has been sentenced to 96 months imprisonment, to be served consecutively with his current 283-month sentence, for conspiracy to act as an agent of a foreign government and conspiracy to commit international money laundering.
Nicholson, a former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) employee, is currently serving his sentence at the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) in Sheridan, Ore., for a 1997 conviction of conspiracy to commit espionage.
According to court documents, Nicholson admitted to passing information to the Russian Federation and receiving cash proceeds for his past espionage activities from 2006 to December 2008, with the assistance of his son Nathaniel.
Nicholson met with his son on several occasions at FCI Sheridan and provided him with information intended for the Russian Federation, which Nathaniel would then travel to several locations, including San Francisco, Mexico City, Lima, Peru, and Nicosia, Cyprus, to deliver to Russian agents.
Nathaniel would also collect money for Nicholson’s past espionage activities and disperse it to family members as directed by Nicholson.
“Today, former CIA official Harold Nicholson is being held accountable for once again violating his oath to protect America’s national security,” said David Kris, Assistant Attorney General for National Security.
“While imprisoned for a prior espionage conviction, Nicholson dispatched his son around the globe to pass information to and receive cash payments from agents of the Russian Federation. The many agents, analysts and prosecutors who uncovered and put an end to this continued betrayal deserve our thanks,” Kris added.
Dwight C. Holton, U.S. Attorney for Oregon, stated, “Harold Nicholson betrayed his country and he betrayed his family — and stooped so low as to involve his son in his corrupt scheme to collect money for his spying. For his new crimes, Nicholson will spend an additional 8 years in prison.
Law enforcement and the Bureau of Prisons should be commended for an outstanding investigation uncovering these serious crimes,” Holton said.
Arthur Balizan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Oregon, added, “At a global level, this investigation shows that international espionage is a threat America still faces, decades after the end of the Cold War.
On a personal level, it shows the damage a father can do as he manipulates a son into a world of dishonor.”
The FBI and the Federal Bureau of Prisons investigated this case, with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Pamala Holsinger and Ethan Knight of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon prosecuting, and Trial Attorney Patrick Murphy of the Counterespionage Section of the Justice Department’s National Security Division assisting in the case.
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Key Facts
- State: Federal
- Category: Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release ↗
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