Terry J. Albury is an American former
FBI agent convicted of leaking documents to news site ''
The Intercept'' detailing secret guidelines for the FBI’s use of informants and the surveillance of journalists and religious and ethnic minority and immigrant communities. The documents formed the basis for a series of articles in ''The Intercept'' called "The FBI's Secret Rules".
Early life and education
Albury was born and raised in
Santa Rosa, California. he was the son of
Ethiopian immigrants. At the age of 13, he was sent to attend Mountain Mission School in
Grundy, Virginia. He later earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology from
Berea College.
Career
Albury was a 17-year veteran of the FBI.
[Alice Sper]
"As FBI Whistleblower Terry Albury Faces Sentencing, His Lawyers Say He Was Motivated by Racism and Abuses at the Bureau"
'' The Intercept'', 18 October 2018 He stated that he was motivated to inform the public about the systematic racist and xenophobic practices he witnessed as the only black agent in the Minneapolis field office, and the son of an Ethiopian refugee as he was tasked with surveillance of Muslim and immigrant communities.
After leaking documents to ''
The Intercept'' which formed the basis for a series called "The FBI's Secret Rules", Albury was indicted under the
Espionage Act of 1917. In 2018, he pled guilty and was sentenced to four years in prison.
[Charlie Savage and Mitch Smith]
"Ex-Minneapolis F.B.I. Agent Is Sentenced to 4 Years in Leak Case"
'' The New York Times'', 18 October 2018
Albury's was the second leak case charged under the Espionage Act under President
Donald Trump. Civil liberties and press freedom advocates spoke out against Albury's prosecution under the Espionage Act, and called for an end to its use against those who "act in good faith to bring government misconduct to the attention of the public".
Albury was incarcerated at the
Federal Correctional Institution, Englewood
The Federal Correctional Institution, Englewood (FCI Englewood) is a low-security United States federal prison for male inmates in Colorado. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), a division of the United States Department of Just ...
. After being released from prison in November 2020, he relocated to
Berkeley, California.
See also
*
COINTELPRO
References
{{Authority control
American whistleblowers
People convicted under the Espionage Act of 1917
People from Santa Rosa, California
Berea College alumni
Federal Bureau of Investigation agents
American people of Ethiopian descent