Aldrich Ames
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Aldrich Ames
Discuss the covert methods of intelligence collection and deception that were utilized in that case
Criminal justice is a complex system with many rules and procedures. Officers within this jurisdiction are supposed to demonstrate the practice of ethical behavior. Based on ethics and morality, they are also responsible for maintaining public trust. Thus, intelligence officers are not supposed to lie to obtain the truth. However, the association of ethics and the morality of doing the right thing sometimes deter making cases. With the primary aim of intelligence collection being to gain access to secret and restricted information, officers sometimes need to use deception. Comparatively, in searching for truth, they use different means and processes to gather and collect information of value. Examples of covert methods of intelligence collection include the use of informants, undercover officers, and surveillance equipment. In expounding more about the hidden processes of intelligence collection and deception, the essay will analyze the Aldrich Ames case.
Aldrich Ames was a Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) case officer, who spoke Russian and specialized in the Russian intelligence services. However, he was later arrested outside his Arlington home and charged with espionage on behalf of the Soviet Union (Shapira, 2018). His wife, Rosario Ames, was also arrested along with him because she aided and supported his espionage activities. Ames acted as an asset to the Soviet by revealing valuable national security information. Mainly he gave out information that led to the conviction, arrest, and execution of more than ten FBI and CIA officers (Mayo, 2014). After several years of unconstrained espionage, the unit discovered the relationship between Ames and the Soviets diplomats.
Before his arrest, Ames was deceptive in the polygraph examination test that he passed. One year after his decision to commit espionage, Ames was required to take a routine polygraph test. During this test, he was asked various questions related to having unauthorized contacts with the foreign intelligence service. He was also asked about the disclosure of classified information. In his response, Ames gave out deceptive answers to the questions. Even though the CIA examiner noted the deception through Ames’s reaction to the pitch, he recorded no response to other counterintelligence issues covered in the test. Ames defended his reaction by saying that he was sensitive because he had worked in the CIA’s Soviet division. Regardless of the lie, he was presumed bright, direct, and non-deceptive.
A group of FBI took over the investigation after several agency assets disappeared in rapid succession. A woman by the name Jeanne was asked to lead the five-person team in figuring out who/what was behind the disappearances (McKelvey, 2014). Believing that there was no traitor in their midst, a member of the investigative team discovered that Ames was making a large bank account deposit after meeting with a Soviet official. Consequently, the FBI used this lead through surveillance and other evidence found in his house and home computer to build the case. A search on his office brought out about 144 classified information that was not related to his job descriptions or assignment (McKelvey, 2014). He had revealed the identity of ten US secret agents of whom nine were executed. Other confidential information disclosed was the technical collection activities, intelligence reports, and the arms control papers. With all this evidence, he was found guilty and acquitted to a life sentence without parole.
Conclusively the Ames espionage case was a catastrophic counterintelligence failure. Despite the CIA and FBI failing to pick up the indicators earlier, they finally took action against Ames. The case brings out the use of deception and covert methods of intelligence collection in the criminal justice system. The use of fraud is evident in the polygraph examination, while the hidden way is through the surveillance and informants who informed his team about the suspicious deposits made by Ames.
References
Mayo, E. M. (2014). Revisiting the Aldrich Ames Espionage Case. Retrieved from https://evanmichaelmayo.wordpress.com/2014/03/13/revisiting-the-aldrich-ames-espionage-case/
McKelvey, T. (2014). The woman who tracked down a CIA mole. BBC News Magazine. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-25658606
Shapira, I. (2018). ‘Rick is a goddamn Russian spy’: Does the CIA have a new Aldrich Ames on its hands? The Washington Post. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/retropolis/wp/2018/01/26/rick-is-a-goddamn-russian-spy-does-the-cia-have-a-new-aldrich-ames-on-its-hands/