Aldrich Ames
CIA officer convicted of spying for the Soviet Union and Russia.
Aldrich Hazen Ames, a CIA counterintelligence officer, was found guilty in 1994 of spying for the Soviet Union and later Russia. His betrayals led to the capture and deaths of numerous Soviet and Russian agents secretly working for the United States. He received a life sentence without parole and died in 2026 at the Federal Correctional Institution in Butner, North Carolina. Until FBI agent Robert Hanssen was caught in 2001, Ames had exposed more highly classified CIA sources than any other officer. Hanssen was handled by other KGB officers, not Victor Cherkashin.
Born in River Falls, Wisconsin, on May 26, 1941, Ames was the eldest of three children and the only son. His father taught at a state college and later joined the CIA’s Directorate of Operations in 1952; the next year, the family moved to Burma for three years. His father’s career suffered due to severe alcoholism, and he spent the rest of his time at CIA headquarters. Ames attended McLean High School in Virginia. Starting in 1957, after his sophomore year, he worked three summers as a low-level records analyst for the CIA, a program for employees’ children. His duties included marking classified documents and creating fake money for training exercises. In 1959, he enrolled at the University of Chicago to study foreign cultures and history, but his intense interest in theater led to failing grades, and he left before finishing his second year.
Ames returned to the CIA in the summer of 1960 as a laborer and painter, then worked as an assistant technical director at a Chicago theater until early 1962. He moved back to the Washington area and took a full-time clerical job at the CIA, similar to his high school work. During his first polygraph test, he admitted to a crime—stealing a delivery boy’s bicycle while drunk with a non-CIA friend—but it was not considered serious enough to deny him security clearance. Five years after starting at the agency, he earned a bachelor’s degree in history from George Washington University. He had not planned a CIA career, but after reaching the GS-7 grade and receiving good reviews, he entered the Career Trainee Program despite several alcohol-related incidents with police. In 1969, he married fellow CIA officer Nancy Segebarth, whom he met in the program.
Quick Facts
- Birth Name
- Aldrich Hazen Ames
- Birth Date
- 1941-05-26
- Birth Place
- River Falls, Wisconsin, U.S.
- Death Date
- 2026-01-05
- Death Place
- FCI Cumberland, Maryland, U.S.
- Education
- University of Chicago (attended) · George Washington University (BA)
- Criminal Charge
- 18 · 794 · c (Espionage Act)
- Criminal Penalty
- Life imprisonment without the possibility of parole
- Criminal Status
- Deceased
- Spouse
- Nancy Segebarth · 1969 · 1983 · Rosario Casas Dupuy · 1985
- Children
- 1 (with Casas Dupuy)
- Country
- United States
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Aldrich Hazen Ames was born in River Falls, Wisconsin, on May 26, 1941, to Carleton Cecil Ames and Rachel Ames. His father worked for the CIA's Directorate of Operations, and the family relocated to Burma in 1953. Ames began working for the CIA as a teenager, first as a low-ranking records analyst and later as a laborer and painter. He earned a bachelor's degree in history from George Washington University while working at the agency, and entered the Career Trainee Program despite alcohol-related incidents. Ames married fellow CIA officer Nancy Segebarth in 1969, and was assigned to Ankara, Turkey, where he targeted Soviet intelligence officers for recruitment. His performance was rated only 'satisfactory,' and superiors considered him unsuited for field work. He returned to CIA headquarters in 1972, working in the Soviet-East European Division, and later handled important Soviet assets in New York City, including Arkady Shevchenko, who defected in 1978. Ames's drinking and security violations were noted throughout his career. In 1982, he began an affair with María del Rosario Casas Dupuy, a Colombian cultural attaché and CIA informant, whom he married in 1985 after divorcing Nancy. Financial pressures from the divorce and Rosario's spending led Ames to consider spying for the Soviets.
Reader's Guide
Aldrich Ames's significance lies in his role as one of the most damaging moles in U.S. intelligence history. Beginning in April 1985, he provided information to the Soviet Union on CIA agents, initially for $50,000, and later betrayed more than ten top-level CIA and FBI sources. His actions led to the arrest and eventual execution of numerous Soviet and Russian officials secretly working for the United States. Ames served a life sentence without parole until his death in 2026. His case highlighted vulnerabilities in CIA internal security and prompted reforms. Both Ames and FBI agent Robert Hanssen were recruited by KGB officer Victor Cherkashin. Ames's legacy is a cautionary tale about the risks of insider threats and the consequences of personal financial pressures combined with access to sensitive information.
Did You Know?
- Ames began working for the CIA at age 16 as a low-ranking GS-3 records analyst.
- He confessed to stealing a delivery boy's bicycle while drunk during his first polygraph examination, but it did not disqualify him from a security clearance.
- After his arrest, the FBI discovered 60 purses, more than 500 pairs of shoes, and six Rolex watches in his house.
- Both Ames and FBI agent Robert Hanssen were recruited by the same KGB officer, Victor Cherkashin.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Aldrich Ames?
Aldrich Hazen Ames was a CIA counterintelligence officer born on May 26, 1941, in River Falls, Wisconsin, who became one of the most damaging traitors in American intelligence history. He was convicted in 1994 of selling top-secret information to the Soviet Union and later Russia.
What did Aldrich Ames actually do?
While embedded in CIA counterintelligence, he fed his handlers the identities of undercover Soviet and Russian agents working for the United States. His betrayals directly led to the capture and execution of numerous of those secret assets.
Why is Aldrich Ames considered so significant in espionage history?
For roughly seven years after his arrest, Ames held the record for compromising more highly classified CIA sources than any other American intelligence officer. That distinction only passed when FBI agent Robert Hanssen was captured in 2001.
Who was Aldrich Ames's KGB handler?
Ames was recruited and managed by KGB officer Victor Cherkashin, who oversaw the exchange of intelligence for payment. This is distinct from the separate KGB officers who handled FBI agent Robert Hanssen.
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