CIA leak suspect looked to Russia for ‘help,’ court told

A former CIA engineer accused of the most damaging leak in the agency’s history said “Russia had to help him” while behind bars, an inmate testified Tuesday.

The testimony by undocumented drug dealer Carlos Luna Mera added a new element of intrigue to the trial of Josh Schulte, who is charged with sharing top-secret information on CIA hacking tools with WikiLeaks. Schulte is also accused of plotting to launch an “information war” from the federal Metropolitan Correctional Center in lower Manhattan by disclosing more government secrets behind bars to reporters.

Luna Mera, testifying in Manhattan Federal Court under a cooperation agreement with the government, said he and Schulte obtained contraband cell phones thanks to a crooked plumber in the lockup.

Luna Mera said he decided to alert correctional officers to the scheme in September 2018 after hearing Schulte talk about Russia. “The words that I heard was that the Russians had to help with what he was doing,” Luna Mera, 41, said. Schulte became angry when talking about the CIA and felt he’d been “betrayed,” Luna Mera said.

Asked why he decided to snitch, Luna Mera said, “I heard him talking about Russia.”

The tip resulted in 50 FBI agents swarming the jail wing where Schulte was held. Agents found documents and cell phones in Schulte’s cell detailing his leaking plans and communications with a reporter, according to testimony.

Luna Mera said he heard Schulte mention Russia twice, but did not know what he had in mind. Schulte’s attorneys have said he was desperate to clear his name. WikiLeaks and Russia have been linked since at least the 2016 presidential election.