Ana Montes
Encyclopedia
Ana Belen Montes is a former senior analyst at the Defense Intelligence Agency
(DIA) in the United States
. On September 21, 2001, she was arrested and subsequently charged with Conspiracy to Commit Espionage
for the government of Cuba
. Montes eventually pleaded guilty to spying, and in October, 2002, she was sentenced to a 25-year prison term followed by 5 years of probation.
, where her father, Alberto Montes, was posted as an Army
doctor. The family later lived in Topeka, Kansas
and later Towson
, Maryland
, where she graduated from Loch Raven High School
in 1975. In 1979 she earned a degree in foreign affairs from the University of Virginia
, and in 1988 she finished a master's degree at Johns Hopkins University
School of Advanced International Studies. It was later revealed that her father, a Puerto Rican
, had strong conservative
views, and had a strained relationship with his more radical daughter.
Montes joined the DIA from the U.S. Department of Justice
in September 1985. Her first assignment was at Bolling Air Force Base
in Washington where she worked as an intelligence research specialist. In 1992, Montes was selected for the DIA's Exceptional Analyst Program and later traveled to Cuba to study the Cuban military. Prosecutors would later allege that Montes was already working for the Cubans when she joined the DIA in 1985.
"Montes communicated with the Cuban Intelligence Service through encrypted messages and received her instructions through shortwave encrypted transmissions from Cuba. In addition, Montes communicated by coded numeric pager messages with the Cuban Intelligence Service by public telephones located in the District of Columbia and Maryland. The codes included 'I received message' or 'danger.'"
The prosecutors further stated that all of the information was on water-soluble paper that could be rapidly destroyed.
During the course of the investigation against her, it was determined that Montes passed a considerable amount of classified information to Cuba's government, including the identities of four spies, and information which caused the death of a U.S. special operations soldier in Central America.
at her office on 20 September 2001. Prosecutors stated that Montes had been privy to classified information about the U.S. military's impending invasion of Afghanistan
in October 2001, and that they did not want her revealing this information to potential enemies.
In 2002, Montes pleaded guilty to the charge which could have carried the death penalty, but was sentenced to 25 years in prison in October of the same year after accepting a plea agreement with the U.S. government. According to her lawyer, Plato Cacheris
, Montes committed the espionage based upon moral reasons, as "She felt the Cubans were treated unfairly by the U.S. government."
in Fort Worth, Texas
. FMC Carswell is listed by the Federal Bureau of Prisons
as a facility located in the northeast corner of the Naval Air Station, Joint Reserve Base, Fort Worth, which provides specialized medical and mental health services to female offenders.
Montes is listed as FMC Register #25037-016. Her tentative release date is listed as July 1, 2023. There is at present no parole
in the US federal prison system.
. Carmichael alleged that Montes knew about the existence of the Special Forces
camp because she visited it in only a few short weeks before the camp was attacked in 1987 by Cuban-supported guerrillas of the FMLN.
Carmichael, who led DIA's investigation of Montes, named Montes as being directly responsible for the death of Green Beret SGT Gregory A. Fronius who was killed at El Paraiso, El Salvador, on March 31, 1987 during the FMLN attack. Carmichael characterized the damage Montes caused to the DIA and other U.S. intelligence agencies as "exceptionally grave," and stated that she compromised a "special access program" that was kept even from him, the lead investigator on her case.
Carmichael further alleged that many in the U.S. intelligence community believed that Montes' penetration of the DIA was not the exception, but the rule, and that the Cuban intelligence service had numerous spies and moles
within U.S. intelligence agencies.
In a May 6, 2002 interview with CBS News, former Undersecretary of State John Bolton
stated that an official 1998 U.S. government report with significant contributions by Montes concluded that Cuba did not represent a significant military threat to the United States or the region. Bolton alleged that because of Montes' espionage, it was not possible to exclude the possibility that the administration of President Bill Clinton
may have overlooked Cuba as a potential threat because of Montes' influence and the way she shaped her reporting at DIA.
Defense Intelligence Agency
The Defense Intelligence Agency is a member of the Intelligence Community of the United States, and is the central producer and manager of military intelligence for the United States Department of Defense, employing over 16,500 U.S. military and civilian employees worldwide...
(DIA) in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. On September 21, 2001, she was arrested and subsequently charged with Conspiracy to Commit Espionage
Espionage
Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
for the government of Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
. Montes eventually pleaded guilty to spying, and in October, 2002, she was sentenced to a 25-year prison term followed by 5 years of probation.
Life
Montes was born in West GermanyWest Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
, where her father, Alberto Montes, was posted as an Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
doctor. The family later lived in Topeka, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
and later Towson
Towson
-Places:In the United States:*Towson, Maryland, an unincorporated community in Maryland**Towson Center, an arena in Towson, Maryland**Towson Town Center, a shopping mall in Towson, Maryland*Fort Towson, Oklahoma, a community in Oklahoma...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, where she graduated from Loch Raven High School
Loch Raven High School
Loch Raven High School is a high school in Baltimore County, Maryland. Its name is derived from its proximity to the Loch Raven Reservoir.-History:The school was founded in 1972 and is part of the system...
in 1975. In 1979 she earned a degree in foreign affairs from the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
, and in 1988 she finished a master's degree at Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
School of Advanced International Studies. It was later revealed that her father, a Puerto Rican
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
, had strong conservative
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
views, and had a strained relationship with his more radical daughter.
Montes joined the DIA from the U.S. Department of Justice
United States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice , is the United States federal executive department responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries.The Department is led by the Attorney General, who is nominated...
in September 1985. Her first assignment was at Bolling Air Force Base
Bolling Air Force Base
Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling is a military installation, located in Southeast Washington, D.C., established on 1 October 2010 in accordance with congressional legislation implementing the recommendations of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission...
in Washington where she worked as an intelligence research specialist. In 1992, Montes was selected for the DIA's Exceptional Analyst Program and later traveled to Cuba to study the Cuban military. Prosecutors would later allege that Montes was already working for the Cubans when she joined the DIA in 1985.
DIA
Montes was DIA's most Senior Cuban analyst. She advanced rapidly through the ranks once at DIA and her co-workers regarded her as responsible and dependable, and noted her "no-nonsense" attitude.Espionage
In their charging documents, federal prosecutors stated:"Montes communicated with the Cuban Intelligence Service through encrypted messages and received her instructions through shortwave encrypted transmissions from Cuba. In addition, Montes communicated by coded numeric pager messages with the Cuban Intelligence Service by public telephones located in the District of Columbia and Maryland. The codes included 'I received message' or 'danger.'"
The prosecutors further stated that all of the information was on water-soluble paper that could be rapidly destroyed.
During the course of the investigation against her, it was determined that Montes passed a considerable amount of classified information to Cuba's government, including the identities of four spies, and information which caused the death of a U.S. special operations soldier in Central America.
Arrest
Montes was arrested by the Federal Bureau of InvestigationFederal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
at her office on 20 September 2001. Prosecutors stated that Montes had been privy to classified information about the U.S. military's impending invasion of Afghanistan
War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
The War in Afghanistan began on October 7, 2001, as the armed forces of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Afghan United Front launched Operation Enduring Freedom...
in October 2001, and that they did not want her revealing this information to potential enemies.
In 2002, Montes pleaded guilty to the charge which could have carried the death penalty, but was sentenced to 25 years in prison in October of the same year after accepting a plea agreement with the U.S. government. According to her lawyer, Plato Cacheris
Plato Cacheris
Plato Cacheris is an American lawyer.Cacheris is the son of a Greek immigrant. He grew up in Washington, D.C. and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His father co-owned a chain of restaurants including the historic downtown restaurant The Waffle Shop in Washington, D.C. In 1951, he joined the U.S. Marine...
, Montes committed the espionage based upon moral reasons, as "She felt the Cubans were treated unfairly by the U.S. government."
Life In Prison
Montes is currently incarcerated at FMC CarswellFederal Medical Center, Carswell
The Federal Medical Center Carswell in Fort Worth, Texas, is a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility that provides specialized medical and mental health services to female offenders. FMC Carswell is located in the northeast corner of Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth . Its address is...
in Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
. FMC Carswell is listed by the Federal Bureau of Prisons
Federal Bureau of Prisons
The Federal Bureau of Prisons is a federal law enforcement agency subdivision of the United States Department of Justice and is responsible for the administration of the federal prison system. The system also handles prisoners who committed acts considered felonies under the District of Columbia's...
as a facility located in the northeast corner of the Naval Air Station, Joint Reserve Base, Fort Worth, which provides specialized medical and mental health services to female offenders.
Montes is listed as FMC Register #25037-016. Her tentative release date is listed as July 1, 2023. There is at present no parole
Parole
Parole may have different meanings depending on the field and judiciary system. All of the meanings originated from the French parole . Following its use in late-resurrected Anglo-French chivalric practice, the term became associated with the release of prisoners based on prisoners giving their...
in the US federal prison system.
Specific Allegations
In 2007, DIA counterintelligence official Scott W. Carmichael alleged that it was Ana Montes who told Cuban intelligence officers about a clandestine U.S. Army camp in El SalvadorEl Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
. Carmichael alleged that Montes knew about the existence of the Special Forces
Special forces
Special forces, or special operations forces are terms used to describe elite military tactical teams trained to perform high-risk dangerous missions that conventional units cannot perform...
camp because she visited it in only a few short weeks before the camp was attacked in 1987 by Cuban-supported guerrillas of the FMLN.
Carmichael, who led DIA's investigation of Montes, named Montes as being directly responsible for the death of Green Beret SGT Gregory A. Fronius who was killed at El Paraiso, El Salvador, on March 31, 1987 during the FMLN attack. Carmichael characterized the damage Montes caused to the DIA and other U.S. intelligence agencies as "exceptionally grave," and stated that she compromised a "special access program" that was kept even from him, the lead investigator on her case.
Carmichael further alleged that many in the U.S. intelligence community believed that Montes' penetration of the DIA was not the exception, but the rule, and that the Cuban intelligence service had numerous spies and moles
Mole (espionage)
A mole is a spy who works for an enemy nation, but whose loyalty ostensibly lies with his own nation's government. In some usage, a mole differs from a defector in that a mole is a spy before gaining access to classified information, while a defector becomes a spy only after gaining access...
within U.S. intelligence agencies.
In a May 6, 2002 interview with CBS News, former Undersecretary of State John Bolton
John R. Bolton
John Robert Bolton is an American lawyer and diplomat who has served in several Republican presidential administrations. He served as the U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations from August 2005 until December 2006 on a recess appointment...
stated that an official 1998 U.S. government report with significant contributions by Montes concluded that Cuba did not represent a significant military threat to the United States or the region. Bolton alleged that because of Montes' espionage, it was not possible to exclude the possibility that the administration of President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
may have overlooked Cuba as a potential threat because of Montes' influence and the way she shaped her reporting at DIA.