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Jonathan Jay Pollard (b. August 7, 1954) is a former United States Navy intelligence officer who was convicted of spying for Israel.
In 1985, Pollard's superiors at the Naval Anti-Terrorist Alert Center in Washington, D.C grew suspicious of Pollard's behavior on the job. Stacks of classified documents unrelated to his work were repeatedly found in his office. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was soon called in to investigate, and they arrested Pollard in November of 1985. Any hopes of keeping the scandal under wraps were dashed when Pollard attempted to flee arrest by requesting asylum at the Israeli embassy, only to be turned over to the FBI.
In 1987, Pollard was sentenced to life in prison, a sentence he is still serving. The Pollard affair caused considerable damage to the relationship between Israel and the United States.
He was awarded Israeli citizenship in 1998. As of 2003, he is still in prison, although the Israeli government has repeatedly asked for his release.
