Steven John Lalas
Encyclopedia
Steven John Lalas is a Greek American
and a former State Department communications officer. Charged with espionage
-related offenses in connection with passing sensitive military and diplomatic information to Greek officials, he was arrested in northern Virginia
in 1993.
Lalas pled guilty
in federal court
to one count of conspiracy
to commit espionage, he was sentenced
to 14 years in prison. Later parole
d, Lalas immigrated to Greece to serve out the remainder of his parole.
, that included U.S. gathered intelligence information of Turkish military strategy in the Aegean Sea
and Cyprus
, and U.S. diplomatic assessments and views on the Republic of Macedonia
. Athens was Lalas' fourth communications posting with the State Department. He also served at posts in İzmir
(where he was allegedly recruited by the Greeks), Belgrade
, Istanbul
, and Taiwan
. U.S. investigators claimed he made an average of US$
24,000 over a two-year period by providing documents, thus earning a steady income selling Defense Intelligence Agency
reports about troop strength, political analyses, and military discussions contained in cables between the U.S. Embassy in Athens and the White House
. He also obtained information from FBI
communications about counterterrorism efforts, and the names and job descriptions of CIA personnel stationed overseas.
and a State Department official. The Greek official knew of information that could only have come from a secret communication between the U.S. Embassy in Athens and the State Department. The State Department official recognized something wasn't right and reported it. This led to an FBI secret investigation, and Lalas was later observed through a video monitoring system stealing documents intended for destruction, taking them out of the US embassy and handing them over to his Greek liaison.
Also according to U.S. authorities, Lalas originally claimed he had been recruited by Greek military officials in 1991, and that he feared for the welfare of relatives living in Greece if he had not cooperated. Authorities later discovered that he began spying for the Greek government in 1977 while with the U.S. Army.
The full extent of his espionage activity was confirmed prior to his sentencing only after he failed two FBI polygraph
examinations. Yet in debriefings the prosecutors said Lalas did not reveal the full extent of his spying.
until July 2010. He returned to Greece on November 25, 2007, after written assurances from Greek Justice Minister Sotiris Hadjidakis that the Greek government will fulfill any U.S. court decision regarding Lalas' parole.
Greek public opinion is divided between those who consider him an heroic example of a dedicated patriot and those who consider him as an opportunist and a media sellout. Greek intelligence community regard him as the most important secret agent they had ever recruited in the past half of the 20th century.
As for Steven Lalas himself, even though the Greek government did not support him or his family in Greece when he was arrested, he continued to praise his country of origin while in prison. In his appearances in Alexis Papahelas
' show "Oi Fakeloi", he stated that if he had the chance he would do it all over again, even if he was to be arrested and spend again 14 years in prison separated from his wife and two kids. He also publicly denies that he ever received any money, and insists that his motivation was only inspired by patriotic feelings for his country of origin.
Greek American
Greek Americans are Americans of Greek descent also described as Hellenic descent. According to the 2007 U.S. Census Bureau estimation, there were 1,380,088 people of Greek ancestry in the United States, while the State Department mentions that around 3,000,000 Americans claim to be of Greek descent...
and a former State Department communications officer. Charged with 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...
-related offenses in connection with passing sensitive military and diplomatic information to Greek officials, he was arrested in northern Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
in 1993.
Lalas pled guilty
Plea
In legal terms, a plea is simply an answer to a claim made by someone in a civil or criminal case under common law using the adversary system. Colloquially, a plea has come to mean the assertion by a criminal defendant at arraignment, or otherwise in response to a criminal charge, whether that...
in federal court
United States district court
The United States district courts are the general trial courts of the United States federal court system. Both civil and criminal cases are filed in the district court, which is a court of law, equity, and admiralty. There is a United States bankruptcy court associated with each United States...
to one count of conspiracy
Conspiracy (crime)
In the criminal law, a conspiracy is an agreement between two or more persons to break the law at some time in the future, and, in some cases, with at least one overt act in furtherance of that agreement...
to commit espionage, he was sentenced
Sentence (law)
In law, a sentence forms the final explicit act of a judge-ruled process, and also the symbolic principal act connected to his function. The sentence can generally involve a decree of imprisonment, a fine and/or other punishments against a defendant convicted of a crime...
to 14 years in prison. Later 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...
d, Lalas immigrated to Greece to serve out the remainder of his parole.
Spying activities
During his active years as a spy, Lalas passed an estimated 700 highly classified documentsClassified information
Classified information is sensitive information to which access is restricted by law or regulation to particular groups of persons. A formal security clearance is required to handle classified documents or access classified data. The clearance process requires a satisfactory background investigation...
, that included U.S. gathered intelligence information of Turkish military strategy in the Aegean Sea
Aegean Sea
The Aegean Sea[p] is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea located between the southern Balkan and Anatolian peninsulas, i.e., between the mainlands of Greece and Turkey. In the north, it is connected to the Marmara Sea and Black Sea by the Dardanelles and Bosporus...
and Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
, and U.S. diplomatic assessments and views on the Republic of Macedonia
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
. Athens was Lalas' fourth communications posting with the State Department. He also served at posts in İzmir
Izmir
Izmir is a large metropolis in the western extremity of Anatolia. The metropolitan area in the entire Izmir Province had a population of 3.35 million as of 2010, making the city third most populous in Turkey...
(where he was allegedly recruited by the Greeks), Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
, Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, and Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
. U.S. investigators claimed he made an average of US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
24,000 over a two-year period by providing documents, thus earning a steady income selling Defense Intelligence Agency
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...
reports about troop strength, political analyses, and military discussions contained in cables between the U.S. Embassy in Athens and the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
. He also obtained information from FBI
Federal 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...
communications about counterterrorism efforts, and the names and job descriptions of CIA personnel stationed overseas.
Lalas' apprehension
According to the U.S. government, it received the first tip that led to identification of Lalas as a spy as a result of an accidental slip in a conversation between an official of the Greek Embassy in WashingtonWashington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
and a State Department official. The Greek official knew of information that could only have come from a secret communication between the U.S. Embassy in Athens and the State Department. The State Department official recognized something wasn't right and reported it. This led to an FBI secret investigation, and Lalas was later observed through a video monitoring system stealing documents intended for destruction, taking them out of the US embassy and handing them over to his Greek liaison.
Also according to U.S. authorities, Lalas originally claimed he had been recruited by Greek military officials in 1991, and that he feared for the welfare of relatives living in Greece if he had not cooperated. Authorities later discovered that he began spying for the Greek government in 1977 while with the U.S. Army.
Trial and sentence
In June 1993, Lalas pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit espionage and on September 16 was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison without possibility of parole. Prosecutors had recommended the 14-year sentence in return for Lalas’ promise to reveal what documents he turned over and to whom.The full extent of his espionage activity was confirmed prior to his sentencing only after he failed two FBI polygraph
Polygraph
A polygraph measures and records several physiological indices such as blood pressure, pulse, respiration, and skin conductivity while the subject is asked and answers a series of questions...
examinations. Yet in debriefings the prosecutors said Lalas did not reveal the full extent of his spying.
Current events
Lalas is on paroleParole
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...
until July 2010. He returned to Greece on November 25, 2007, after written assurances from Greek Justice Minister Sotiris Hadjidakis that the Greek government will fulfill any U.S. court decision regarding Lalas' parole.
Greek public opinion is divided between those who consider him an heroic example of a dedicated patriot and those who consider him as an opportunist and a media sellout. Greek intelligence community regard him as the most important secret agent they had ever recruited in the past half of the 20th century.
As for Steven Lalas himself, even though the Greek government did not support him or his family in Greece when he was arrested, he continued to praise his country of origin while in prison. In his appearances in Alexis Papahelas
Alexis Papahelas
Alexis Papahelas is a Greek investigative journalist and the current editor in chief of Kathimerini newspaper. He is the creator and principal presenter of the weekly news program in Skai TV called "Oi Neoi Fakeloi" , which is a continuation of his show in Mega Channel called "Oi Fakeloi "...
' show "Oi Fakeloi", he stated that if he had the chance he would do it all over again, even if he was to be arrested and spend again 14 years in prison separated from his wife and two kids. He also publicly denies that he ever received any money, and insists that his motivation was only inspired by patriotic feelings for his country of origin.