Former Oak Ridge National Laboratory employee and retired South African Air Force brigadier general Portia Anyamba has been sentenced to six months in federal prison after pleading guilty to acting as an unregistered agent of the South African government and making false statements during a U.S. security clearance process.
The sentence was imposed by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee on June 17, 2026. In addition to the prison term, Anyamba was ordered to serve two years of supervised release and pay a $9,500 fine.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Anyamba concealed her relationship with a South African intelligence officer while employed in a position that involved access to sensitive national security information at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Prosecutors said she also made false statements on her security clearance application by failing to disclose the foreign contacts and activities.
Federal officials said the case underscores the importance of protecting U.S. national security and ensuring that individuals entrusted with sensitive positions provide complete and truthful information during the security clearance process.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI and other federal agencies.
