Ex-CIA Agent Cuts a Deal in Extortion Case

A former CIA operative admitted Monday that he tried to extort $1 million from the spy agency in return for his silence about government foreign eavesdropping operations. In so doing, he avoided trial for espionage.

Federal prosecutors, saying that a trial could have forced them to disclose sensitive national security information, dropped four counts of espionage against Douglas Fred Groat, 51, including charges that he told two foreign governments they were targets of U.S. electronic surveillance. Groat still will be able to collect his CIA pension when he turns 62.

The plea agreement was a major step back for the Justice Department and the CIA. The initial charges could have carried the death penalty.

Instead, pending a sentencing hearing in September, the agreement could result in Groat’s serving less than five years in a medium-security prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Extortion carries a maximum of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Groat agreed to help the government sort out whether his activities during or after his tenure at the agency breached national security. And he agreed to submit any books, articles or interviews to federal officials for security review.

U.S. Attorney Wilma A. Lewis, in a statement following the hearing, said the plea agreement “gives law enforcement the ability to assess the extent of the defendant’s activity in a quick and effective manner while protecting the national security of the United States by limiting public disclosure of highly classified information that would be required in a trial.”

CIA Director George J. Tenet called the plea agreement a “successful conclusion” to a case whose implications for U.S. spy operations still are being assessed.