Joshua Schulte, a former CIA computer engineer suspected of leaking classified hacking tools to WikiLeaks, said he is being subjected to “torture” while awaiting trial for espionage.
Mr. Schulte, 30, said he is being inexplicably held in solitary confinement and denied access to his medication, writing materials, legal documents and lawyer, according to a letter addressed to U.S. District Judge Paul Crotty filed in Manhattan federal court Monday.
“My fellow slaves constantly scream, pound and claw at their cages attempting to get attention for basic needs to be fulfilled. I count myself lucky to be able to eat,” he wrote from Manhattan’s Metropolitan Correctional Center.
“No human being should ever have to experience this torture,” the former CIA coder continued. “Otto Warmbier received better treatment and more justice in North Korea than I have received in America. Terrorists receive better treatment in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba — I have seen the footage myself.”
Warmbier, a 22-year-old college student from Ohio, was arrested in North Korea in January 2016. He was held captive for 17 months prior to being released to the U.S. in June 2017 and dying hours later.
Postmarked Oct. 23, Mr. Schulte’s letter was removed within hours of being uploaded Monday and replaced with a note that said it had been “incorrectly” added to the case docket.
A representative for the Department of Justice declined to comment when reached Wednesday.
Mr. Schulte was quietly arrested in August 2017 on counts of child pornography, and The Washington Post first reported in May that he was also suspected of being the source of “Vault 7,” a trove of top-secret CIA hacking tools released by the WikiLeaks website prior to his arrest. He was subsequently charged in June with related violations of the U.S. Espionage Act, and he has pleaded not guilty to all counts.
In the letter to the court, Mr. Schulte said he was removed from his previous cell on Oct. 1 and segregated to a different section of the jail where he has been denied access to the blood-pressure medication in addition to case documents and lawyers, among other materials.
“They even refuse us pens and stamps so we can’t even write! Luckily I was able to borrow a pen from the medical assistant to quickly write this letter (no idea how to mail it). Indeed, the justice system in prison seems to mimic the justice system of this country — arrested and presumed guilty without any time limit; an egregious assault on liberty and the constitution,” he wrote.
“This entire case is a lies, but don’t take my word for it — read it for yourself. As you peel back lie after lie, nothing remains but a bare search warrant affidavit without probable cause,” he wrote.
A public defender listed for Mr. Schulte did not immediately return a message seeking comment.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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