Former White House employee, CIA analyst is accused of spies about South Korea, feds say
Sue Mi Terry, 54, a former senior White House employee and CIA analyst, has been accused of spying to South Korea in exchange for premium products.
An ex-highly placed White House employee and Central Intelligence Agency analyst is charged with working in the capacity of an agent South Korea and disclosing U.S. secret government information to the intelligence officers of the country According federal prosecution.
Sue Mi Terry, 54, is accused that she “subverted foreign agent registration laws in order to provide South Korean intelligence officers with access, information, and advocacy,” U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said Wednesday in an Justice Department press release.
This woman was detained on Tuesday and accused of conspiring to violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) which carries a penalty of the maximum penalty of five years in prison and one count of failure to sign in accordance with FARA and could lead to a maximum penalty of five years of prison time, according to the federal prosecutor.
Lee Wolosky, Terry’s defense attorney, issued an open letter to USA TODAY about the allegations made against him. The statement reads, “These allegations are unfounded and sabotage an academic, journalist and analyst well-known for her independence and decades in service to America. United States. “
“Dr. Terry has not held a security clearance for over a decade and her views on matters relating to the Korean peninsula have been consistent over many years,” the statement said. “In fact she was a fierce criticism of the South Korean government during times the indictment claims it was acting on behalf of it. After the facts are revealed, it will become clear that the government has made a major error. “
Was the penalty Sue Mi Terry receive for her alleged criminality?
Indictment which runs 31 pages long and is filed in the Southern District of New York exposes various ways Terry not only divulged private information, but was a prominent proponent of South Korean policies and enabled South Korean officials to gain access to U.S. government officials.
For a payment, Terry would be given extravagant items, lavish meals as well as more than $37,000 for a public-policy initiative concerning Korean issues she supervised according to an charges. Some of the items provided to her included a $2,845 Dolce and Gabbana coat, the $2,500 Bottega Veneta bag and the $3,450 Louis Vuitton bag in accordance with court papers that continued.
“Terry allegedly sold out her positions and influence to the South Korean government in return for luxury handbags, expensive meals, and thousands of dollars of funding for her public policy program,” Williams stated in the statement.
Who is Sue Mi Terry?
Terry has been employed for various different positions within government agencies in the U.S. government from about 2001 to 2011. Terry was a consultant on East Asian issues for the CIA as well as an oceanic affairs officer in the White House National Security Council according to the indictment.
After having left the administration, Terry was employed by universities in New York City and Washington, D.C. She was prominent in the press by appearing on television, writing articles published in the press or hosting events. She was the “policy expert specializing in South Korea, North Korea, and various regional issues impacting Asia,” according to the indictment.
Terry has been in Congress on three occasions regarding her stance in her position on the U.S. government’s policy toward Korea. In these hearings, she swears in a written statement that she was not claiming to be as an agent for any foreign nation according to the indictment issued by the federal government states.
This woman was charged with trying to create a link to South Korean intelligence agents in 2016 and officials from the administration of the then-incoming president, according to the charge report.
What secrets can Sue Mi Terry allegedly divulge?
Terry was a “valuable source of information” for the South Korean National Intelligence Service (NIS) as per the indictment’s allegations. The court document outlines the moment in June 2002, when she distributed notes on paper to the NIS’s “handler” regarding an off-the-record group meeting that she attended with Secretary of State Colin Powell about the government’s policy toward North Korea.
A driver was in the car which drove Terry away from her private gathering. She took photographs of her notes while they were in the vehicle according to the charge.
Another incident included in the indictment is the evening of party Terry hosted for staff of the Congress in the month of April 2023. In addition to having staff members from South Korea NIS pay for the party, South Korea NIS pay for the event, Terry’s personal assistant was also in attendance dressed in diplomat attire and was able to socialize with staff members, without divulging the name of the person with whom he was According to indictment.
Terry was awarded a small amount of $2,000 from South Korean officials to write articles for both Korean and the U.S. and Korean press “converting positions and phrases provided by the (South Korean) government,” according to a federal prosecutor.
“Compromising national security endangers every American by weakening our defenses and putting lives at risk,” FBI Acting Assistant Director in Charge Christie Curtis said in the publication.
