A former CIA official, Dale Britt Bendler, pleaded guilty Wednesday to acting as a foreign agent and mishandling classified materials.
The 68-year-old from Miami admitted to violating national security laws during a court hearing, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Bendler’s guilty plea marks a stunning fall for a man who spent over 30 years as a CIA intelligence officer. He retired in 2014 as a member of the Senior Intelligence Service, a prestigious rank within the agency.
After retirement, Bendler returned to the CIA as a full-time contractor, holding a Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information security clearance, according to WTVJ. It was during this period that he began engaging in illicit activities.
From July 2017 to at least July 2020, Bendler worked with a U.S. lobbying firm, conducting unauthorized lobbying and public relations activities on behalf of foreign clients.
His actions violated the Foreign Agents Registration Act, which requires public disclosure of such work.
Prosecutors revealed that Bendler used his position at the CIA to influence a foreign government’s embezzlement investigation of one of his clients.
He also attempted “to use his position and access at the CIA to influence the U.S. government’s decision as to whether to grant a U.S. visa to another of Bendler’s clients, who was alleged to be associated with terrorism financing,” the DOJ reported.