Key Highlights
- Aldrich Ames, a former CIA officer who became one of America’s most damaging double agents, has died at the age of 84.
- Ames was jailed in April 1994 after admitting to selling secret information to the Soviet Union and later Russia.
- He compromised more than 100 clandestine operations and divulged the identities of over 30 agents, leading to at least 10 deaths.
- Ames’s betrayal began in 1985 when he provided the KGB with the names of a few KGB officers secretly working for the FBI.
The Life and Betrayal of Aldrich Ames: A CIA Double Agent Who Cost Lives
Aldrich Ames, a former CIA officer who became one of America’s most damaging double agents, has died at the age of 84. The former counterintelligence officer, serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole, passed away on Monday at the Federal Correctional Institution in Cumberland, Maryland, according to CBS News and the BBC.
The Double Agent Who Caused Irreparable Damage
Ames’s treachery began in 1985 when he began providing secret information to the Soviet Union for financial gain. He admitted selling the names of CIA spies to the KGB, compromising more than 100 clandestine operations and revealing the identities of over 30 agents. His actions led to at least 10 deaths among those who were CIA intelligence assets.
Ames’s betrayal continued for nine years until his arrest on February 21, 1994.
The FBI’s mole hunt had been closing in on Ames and his accomplice, Rosario Casas Dupuy, by that time. Despite his long career at the CIA, Ames was ultimately convicted of espionage and received a life sentence.
A Tragic Career and Personal Life
Ames’s 31-year career began when his father helped him land a job at the CIA in 1962 after he dropped out of college. He married Nancy Segebarth, also a CIA agent, in 1969 but their marriage collapsed due to personal and professional issues. His alcohol problems continued, leading to security violations such as leaving classified information on a subway.
Ames’s second wife, Maria del Rosario Casas Dupuy, was charged alongside him for her role as an accomplice in the espionage activities. While Ames received a lenient sentence for his accomplice, she served five years before being released.
The Impact of Ames’s Betrayal
Ames’s actions had profound consequences on both intelligence operations and personal lives. CIA Director R. James Woolsey described Ames as “a malignant betrayer of his country,” stating that the agents Ames betrayed died because a “murdering traitor wanted a bigger house and a Jaguar.”
The legacy of Aldrich Ames serves as a stark reminder of the human vulnerability within even the most secure intelligence organizations, highlighting the importance of thorough vetting and continuous monitoring.
