CIA Man Came Under Suspicion for Stealing Documents Years Ago

Former CIA senior ops official Dale Bendler confessed only to violation of Foreign Agents Registration Act in plea deal with Justice Department.

A former senior CIA officer who pleaded guilty Wednesday to working illegally as an agent for unidentified foreign clients came under suspicion years earlier as a security risk, reliable sources tell SpyTalk.

Dale Bendler is a co-founder of One.61, a Miami-based security company

Dale Britt Bendler, 68, of Miami, Fla., was suspended with pay during a European assignment between 2016 and 2019, a one time senior CIA colleague said on condition of anonymity to discuss such a sensitive issue. 

“We were concerned about him years ago……he did not have the greatest reputation, ever,” this person said. “At one point he was put on leave with pay, because we didn't want him to have accesses (to classified files). And now they're just finally getting around to putting him in jail, which is good.”

The former official hinted that the CIA got onto Bendler after classified material he had access to started showing up in the hands of an allied foreign government the agency was monitoring.