Aldrich Ames, a former CIA officer and double agent who caused the most severe damage in U.S. history by selling secrets to the Soviet Union, has died in prison while serving a life sentence. He exposed the identities of dozens of Western spies, resulting in significant intelligence losses for the CIA and the deaths of at least 10 individuals.
Aldrich Ames, a former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officer turned one of America's most damaging double agents, died at age 84 on Monday (5 Jan) at the Federal Correctional Institution in Cumberland, Maryland, while serving a life sentence without parole.
Ames was arrested on 21 February 1994 after admitting to selling top-secret information to the Soviet Union (later Russia) over nine years. During his espionage, Ames disclosed over 100 covert operations and betrayed more than 30 Western spies, leading to the deaths of at least 10 CIA operatives.
Ames's main motivation was money. He first provided a list of spies to the Soviet intelligence service, the KGB, in 1985 to pay off debts, initially receiving $50,000. The KGB codenamed him "Kolokol" (meaning "bell"). Over his espionage career, he earned more than $2.5 million (about 85 million baht).
He spent this vast sum lavishly, buying luxury Jaguar cars, traveling abroad, and purchasing a $540,000 house, despite his CIA salary never exceeding $70,000 annually. This financial discrepancy eventually drew suspicion.
Ames began working for the CIA in 1962 with help from his father, an agency analyst. His life deteriorated due to alcoholism and family problems until he met Maria del Rosario Casas Dupuy, his second wife, a former Colombian cultural attaché and CIA informant.
Trying to maintain his wife's lavish lifestyle and manage debt from his divorce, Ames used his position as head of the Soviet counterintelligence section to access secrets that he sold for money.
After years of investigation to find the mole, Ames was arrested and agreed to plead guilty so his wife would receive a lighter sentence. Rosario was sentenced to five years in prison for conspiracy, while Ames faced life imprisonment.
James Woolsey, then CIA director, condemned Ames as a "vile traitor," adding sharply, "Those spies had to die simply because a traitor wanted a bigger house and a new Jaguar."
/sourceBBC