Former CIA Contractor Allegedly Sold Classified Data For Private Profit

A former CIA contractor, Dale Britt Bendler, allegedly used classified systems as a “personal Google” to earn $360,000 from private clients.

Dale Britt Bendler who served as a CIA officer and contractor exploited his access to classified U.S. intelligence systems which he treated like his own search engine for selling information to private clients, according to court documents obtained by 404Media.

Bendler, 68, retired from the CIA in 2014 but returned as a contractor with a Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information clearance.

404Media reports that the government says he used this access to collect sensitive information and provide it to a U.S. lobbying firm and foreign nationals, earning approximately $360,000 in private fees between July 2017 and September 2020.

“He violated his oaths, broke the law, and should be held accountable,” the court document states.

404Media notes that in one case, Bendler allegedly gathered information for a foreign national accused of laundering money from his country’s sovereign wealth fund.

The court records say he was paid $20,000 a month to help with a public relations campaign aimed at rebutting the allegations and lobbying U.S. officials. 404Media says that Bendler reportedly searched CIA systems for information about the individual and included it in a proposal to a U.S. lobbying firm.

The court documents show he received $20,000 per month to help with public relations work aimed at rebutting the allegations and lobbying U.S. officials..

Bendler reportedly searched CIA systems for information about the individual and included it in a proposal to a U.S. lobbying firm. That proposal suggested using classified information to “influence the American public and using his prior relationships with government officials on the National Security Council and in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence to influence U.S. policy.”

In a separate case, Bendler allegedly gathered information on another foreign national accused of laundering money for a foreign terrorist organization, as noted by 404Media.

The court documents note, “In many ways, Defendant was able to use the fact that his job was so sensitive and classified as both a sword and a shield. He wielded it as a sword when he abused his access to classified information and he relied on it as a shield to hide his criminal activity.”

Furthermore. “It is important to send a strong message at sentencing and deter other former members of the intelligence community from breaking the law to make some extra money.”