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A former CIA analyst from Vienna was sentenced June 11 to three years and one month in prison for retaining and sharing Top Secret national defense information that later appeared publicly on social media.

Asif William Rahman, 34, had worked for the CIA since 2016 and held a Top Secret security clearance with access to Sensitive Compartmented Information. His employment ended after his arrest.

On Oct. 17, 2024, Rahman accessed and printed two Top Secret documents concerning a U.S. ally and its planned actions against a foreign adversary, according to court records. He removed the documents, photographed them and sent the images to people he knew were not authorized to receive the information.

By Oct. 18, the documents—with their classification markings still visible—had been posted on several social media platforms.

Rahman then began deleting work product from his Top Secret workstation. Authorities said he also repeatedly accessed, printed and transmitted classified national defense materials to unauthorized recipients during 2024 and through November. Some of those documents carried Top Secret classifications.

“Asif Rahman violated his position of trust by illegally accessing, removing, and transmitting Top Secret documents vital to the national security of the United States and its allies,” U.S. Attorney Erik S. Siebert said. He called the prosecution a warning to people who put personal goals ahead of their allegiance to the country.

A grand jury indicted Rahman on Nov. 7, 2024. FBI agents arrested him as he arrived at work five days later.

On Jan. 17, Rahman pleaded guilty to two counts of willfully retaining and transmitting classified national defense information. He has remained in custody since his arrest.

The FBI’s Washington Field Office investigated the case.