Thomas Drake

Birth Name:

Thomas Andrews Drake

Birth Place:

Louisiana, United States

Was awarded the Ridenhour Prize for Truth-Telling for his whistleblowing efforts
Served in the U․S․ Air Force for ten years as an Airborne Voice Processing Specialist and went on several electronic intelligence missions
Quote: "I'm a target․ I've got a bull's-eye on my back․ I did not tell secrets․ I am facing prison for having raised an alarm, period․ I went to a reporter with a few key things: fraud, waste, and abuse․"
Best known as a former senior executive for the U․S․ National Security Agency who later became a whistleblower
Reported his concerns about the Trailblazer data collection project through official channels and received support from the Department of Defense Inspectors General
Worked as a CIA analyst and NSA contractor for 12 years before joining the NSA full-time in 2001
After the NSA remained unresponsive to his concerns about security and government waste, he began supplying unclassified information to the Baltimore Sun
After being forced out of his job at the NSA, he began working at a local Apple store
Was charged with ten felony counts by the Department of Justice, five of which were under the Espionage Act, all of which were later dropped in 2011

Fast Facts