A 43-year-old plead guilty to the one-count conspiracy to transmit restricted data
A former US Navy engineer pleaded guilty on Monday to attempting to pass classified information about America’s nuclear-powered warships to an individual he believed was representing a foreign government.
Jonathan Toebbe was 43 years old when he appeared at Martinsburg Federal Court in West Virginia. There he was charged by a single count with conspiracy to disclose restricted data. The sentence is between 12 and 17 year imprisonment.
Authorities claimed Toebbe, along with his wife Diana, had used his classified information to sell details on Virginia-class submarines. He was an engineer and held previously a high-ranking security clearance from the Department of Defense.
After Toebbe sent documents from the Navy to an unknown foreign government in April 2020, the FBI undercover operations to capture him were launched. The information was obtained by American officials through its legal attache in that country.
Toebbe received cryptocurrency $100,000 from an FBI agent who claimed to represent a foreign government.
When the FBI searched the Toebbe family’s residence in Maryland, agents discovered bags containing shredded documents, thousands of dollars worth of cash, and a “go bag”It contained a USB flash-drive.
Toebbe confessed that he and his wife had plotted to sell high-secret information abroad to help him win the case. “injure the United States.”
He is accused of monitoring his wife. “dead-drop”She found locations in which her husband left memories cards that contained government secrets. These memory cards were hidden inside discrete objects, like a chewing gum wrapper. She has pleaded no guilty to these charges.
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