CIA betrayer who sold secrets to Soviet Russia dies in prison aged 84
Aldrich Ames said he felt "profound shame and guilt" for "this betrayal of trust, done for the basest motives"
A CIA turncoat, who masterminded one of the most damaging intelligence breaches in American history, has died in prison.
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Aldrich Ames, who died aged 84, admitted to receiving £1.85m ($2.5m), from Russia after selling Western intelligence from 1985 until 1994, when he was arrested.
His betrayal of UK and US secrets has been blamed for the executions of agents behind the Iron Curtain.
Once arrested, he disclosed the identities of 10 Russian officials and one Eastern European who were spying for the West.
Ames previously said he felt "profound shame and guilt" for "this betrayal of trust, done for the basest motives".
The CIA veteran, aged 31 at the time, revealed he was orchestrating spy satellite operations and eavesdropping.
He pleaded guilty without a trail to espionage and tax evasion. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole in 1994.
Rosario, his wife, was sentenced to 63 months in prison after pleading guilty to lesser charges.
A spokesperson for the Bureau of Prisons confirmed Ames died behind bars on Monday in a Maryland prison.
He later sought to minimise the impact of his betrayal, telling the court he had not “noticeably damaged” the United States nor “noticeably aided” Moscow.
"These spy wars are a sideshow which have had no real impact on our significant security interests over the years," he said.
An FBI history of the case shows that Ames, who spoke Russian, was working in the Soviet division at CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia, when he was first approached by the KGB.
He continued passing secrets while posted to Rome, and carried on after returning to Washington.
Suspicion eventually fell on him in May 1993, when the FBI was alerted to his unexplained wealth.
That triggered a 10-month investigation involving intense physical and electronic surveillance.
On 13 October 1993, Ames placed a chalk mark on a mailbox to signal to his Russian contacts that he would meet them in Bogotá, Colombia.
He was later seen there with his handler.
When Ames then planned a trip to Moscow as part of his official duties, US authorities approved a plan to arrest him, bringing the long-running investigation to a close.