On Wednesday, a former CIA software programmer was found guilty of the most significant theft of secret information in the agency's history.

Joshua Schulte, who elected to defend himself in a retrial in New York City, claimed in his closing remarks that the CIA and FBI made him a scapegoat for WikiLeaks' embarrassing 2017 revelation of CIA secrets to the public.

Schulte remained impassive as US District Judge Jesse M. Furman pronounced the guilty decision on nine counts, which the jury had reached mid-afternoon on Monday after deliberating since Friday.

The so-called Vault 7 release showed how the CIA hacked Apple and Android cellphones in international espionage operations and efforts to convert internet-connected televisions into listening devices. Before his arrest, Schulte had worked as a coder at the agency's headquarters in Langley, Virginia, on the hacking tools.

A date for Schulte's sentencing was not immediately scheduled since he is still awaiting trial on counts of possessing and transporting child pornographic material. He entered a not-guilty plea.

Sabrina Shroff, who represented Schulte during the trial, described the verdict to Schulte's mother as a "kick to the gut, the brain, and the heart" It was unclear whether Shroff expressed her thoughts or Schulte's.

Schulte argued in his conclusion that he was picked out even though "hundreds of people had access to (the information)" "Hundreds of individuals could have stolen it,"

He continued, "The government's case is riddled with reasonable doubt." There is absolutely no reason for this.

Prosecutors stated that 33-year-old Schulte orchestrated the leak because he felt disregarded by the CIA for his complaints about the work environment. So he allegedly attempted to "burn to the ground" the work he had helped the organization build.

Assistant US Attorney David Denton advised jurors to consider evidence of a cover-up attempt, such as Schulte's list of chores that included "Delete suspicious emails."

US Attorney Damian Williams stated that Schulte was found guilty of committing "one of the most brazen and damaging acts of espionage in American history."

According to Williams, Schulte exposed to the public and US adversaries some of the nation's "most valuable intelligence-gathering cyber tools used to combat terrorist organizations and other malign influences around the globe."

The prosecution stated that Schulte was aware that the leak would render the CIA's capabilities "virtually useless" and have a "devastating effect on our intelligence community by providing vital intelligence to those who wish us ill."

Prosecutors claim that he continued his criminal activities while awaiting trial by attempting to release additional secret information as part of an "information war" against the government.

After the jury had left the courtroom to be deliberate, the judge praised Schulte's closing argument.

"Mr. Schulte, you performed admirably," Furman replied. Depending on the outcome of this case, you may have a career as a defense attorney.

The original 2020 trial of Schulte was declared a mistrial when the jury reached a stalemate on the most serious allegations, including unauthorized collection and dissemination of national defense secrets. Schulte informed the judge a year ago that he wished to represent himself in the retrial.

It is alleged that Schulte went to New York from Virginia after leaving the CIA with a computer containing photographs and films of child pornography he had downloaded from the internet between 2009 and March 2017. He has not announced whether he will represent himself at his next trial.

Since 2018, Schulte has been held without bail behind bars.

In court documents filed the previous year, he alleged that he was subjected to cruel and unusual punishment while awaiting two trials in solitary confinement in a vermin-infested cell at a jail where inmates are treated as "caged animals."