A former senior White Home worker and Central Intelligence Company analyst is accused of working as an agent for South Korea and disclosing U.S. authorities secrets and techniques to that nation’s intelligence officers, in line with federal prosecutors.
Sue Mi Terry, 54, allegedly “subverted international agent registration legal guidelines in an effort to present South Korean intelligence officers with entry, info, and advocacy,” U.S. Lawyer Damian Williams mentioned Wednesday in a Justice Division press launch.
She was arrested Tuesday and charged with one rely of conspiracy to violate the International Brokers Registration Act (FARA), which carries a most sentence of 5 years in jail, and one rely of failure to register underneath FARA, which carries a most sentence of 5 years in jail, in line with federal prosecutors.
Lee Wolosky, Terry’s protection lawyer, emailed a press release to USA TODAY relating to the fees introduced in opposition to his consumer, saying, “These allegations are unfounded and deform the work of a scholar and information analyst identified for her independence and years of service to the US.”
“Dr. Terry has not held a safety clearance for over a decade and her views on issues referring to the Korean peninsula have been constant over a few years,” the assertion continued. “In reality, she was a harsh critic of the South Korean authorities throughout occasions this indictment alleges that she was appearing on its behalf. As soon as the info are made clear will probably be evident the federal government made a big mistake.”
What did Sue Mi Terry obtain for her alleged crimes?
The 31-page indictment filed within the Southern District of New York particulars how Terry not solely supplied confidential info, however she advocated for South Korean insurance policies and enabled South Korean officers to realize entry to U.S. authorities officers.
For cost, Terry can be given luxurious items, costly dinners and greater than $37,000 in funding for a public coverage program regarding Korean affairs that she managed, in line with the indictment. Among the gifted items included a $2,845 Dolce & Gabbana coat, a $2,950 Bottega Veneta purse and a $3,450 Louis Vuitton purse, the courtroom doc continued.
“Terry allegedly offered out her positions and affect to the South Korean authorities in return for luxurious purses, costly meals, and 1000’s of {dollars} of funding for her public coverage program,” Williams mentioned within the launch.
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Who’s Sue Mi Terry?
Terry served in varied positions within the U.S. authorities from about 2001 to 2011, together with as an analyst on East Asian points for the CIA and oceanic affairs for the White Home Nationwide Safety Council, the indictment says.
Since departing the federal government, Terry has labored at educational establishments in New York Metropolis and Washington, D.C. She remained within the public eye by making media appearances, writing revealed articles and internet hosting conferences as a “coverage skilled specializing in South Korea, North Korea, and varied regional points impacting Asia,” in line with the indictment.
Terry has additionally testified earlier than Congress on a minimum of three completely different events regarding the U.S. authorities’s coverage towards Korea. Throughout these hearings, she signed a doc declaring that she was not a international agent, the federal indictment says.
She can be accused of making an attempt to attach South Korean intelligence brokers in 2016 with members of then-incoming President Donald Trump’s administration, in line with the charging doc.
What secrets and techniques did Sue Mi Terry allegedly expose?
Terry was a “invaluable supply of knowledge” for the South Korean Nationwide Intelligence Service (NIS), the indictment says. The courtroom doc particulars how in June 2002, she gave handwritten notes to her “handler” relating to an off-the-record group assembly she had simply had with the Secretary of State Colin Powell in regards to the authorities’s coverage towards North Korea.
The handler was within the automotive that picked Terry up from the non-public assembly and took images of her notes whereas they had been sitting within the car, in line with the indictment.
One other occasion talked about within the indictment concerned a cheerful hour Terry hosted for congressional employees in April 2023. Not solely did the South Korea NIS pay for the occasion, Terry’s handler additionally attended, posed as a diplomat and mingled with staffers with out revealing himself as a spy, the indictment alleges.
Terry was additionally paid by South Korean officers to write down articles in each the U.S. and Korean press “changing positions and phrases supplied by the (South Korean) authorities,” in line with federal prosecutors.
“Compromising nationwide safety endangers each American by weakening our defenses and placing lives in danger,” FBI Performing Assistant Director in Cost Christie Curtis mentioned within the launch.