Engineer, wife indicted for allegedly trying to sell data

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — A atomic technologist with the U.S. Navy and his woman person been indicted for allegedly trying to merchantability submarine secrets to a overseas power.

The Justice Department says Jonathan and Diana Toebbe of Annapolis, Maryland, were indicted Tuesday connected nationalist information charges successful Elkins, West Virginia. They’re each charged with 1 number of conspiracy to pass restricted data, and 2 counts of connection of restricted data.

Jonathan is an worker of the Navy who served arsenic a atomic technologist and was assigned to the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program, besides known arsenic Naval Reactors, according to the Justice Department. He held a nationalist information clearance, which gave him entree to the data.

For astir a year, prosecutors accidental Jonathan and Diana sold restricted information concerning the plan of nuclear-powered warships to a idiosyncratic they believed was a typical of a overseas power. That idiosyncratic was really an undercover FBI agent.

An indictment successful the lawsuit alleges that Jonathan sent a bundle to a overseas government, containing a illustration of restricted information and instructions for establishing a covert narration to acquisition further information.

The indictment besides alleges that Jonathan past began corresponding via encrypted email with an idiosyncratic whom helium believed to beryllium a typical of the overseas government, but the idiosyncratic was truly an undercover FBI agent. The correspondence continued for respective months, which led to an statement to spot information successful speech for thousands of dollars successful cryptocurrency, according to officials.

On June 8, officials accidental the undercover cause sent $10,000 successful cryptocurrency to Jonathan arsenic “good faith” payment. Shortly afterwards, Jonathan and Diana traveled to West Virginia, wherever the hubby allegedly placed an SD paper concealed successful fractional a peanut food sandwich astatine a pre-arranged “dead drop” determination portion his woman acted arsenic a lookout.

After retrieving the SD card, the undercover cause sent Jonathan a $20,000 cryptocurrency payment, and successful return, the fishy emailed the undercover cause a decryption cardinal for the SD Card, according to officials.

“A reappraisal of the SD paper revealed that it contained restricted information related to submarine atomic reactors,” said the Justice Department.

Jonathan besides made different “dead drop” of an SD paper successful Virginia that was concealed successful a chewing gum package. It besides included restricted information astir submarine atomic reactors.

On Oct. 9, Jonathan and Diana were arrested aft they allegedly placed yet different SD paper astatine a pre-arranged “dead drop” astatine a 2nd determination successful West Virginia.