Feb. 15 (UPI) — A U.S. Navy engineer pleaded guilty Monday, after being accused of attempting to sell military secrets to a foreign government.
Jonathan Toebbe pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to communicate restricted data, a plea deal that will likely see him spend between 12.5 and 17.5 years in prison.
Toebbe and his wife, Diana Toebbe, were arrested and charged in October. Both were residents of Annapolis, Md., and were charged with violations of the Atomic Energy Act. Diana Toebbe has pleaded not guilty.
Jonathan Toebbe could have faced life in prison if found guilty of the three original counts.
Toebbe worked as a nuclear engineer for the Department of the Navy and had an active national security clearance granting him access to Restricted Data.
Prosecutors alleged Toebbe mailed a package to a foreign government in April 2020. The country is not identified in court filings.
The FBI became aware and undercover agents began corresponding with Toebbe, who believed at the time he was in contact with the foreign government.
He offered to sell classified information about nuclear submarine designs, according to the criminal complaint.
The FBI intercepted concealed memory cards in West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Virginia, which Toebbe believed he was leaving to be collected by foreign agents.
The process is called a “dead drop” and allows information to be exchanged without two people having to physically meet. The memory cards were concealed in things like a gum wrapper and part of a sandwich.
In June, undercover agents sent Toebbe $10,000 in cryptocurrency as a good faith payment.
