US Navy engineer accused of attempting to sell secrets of nuclear submarines | Spying

A US Navy nuclear engineer with access to military secrets has been accused of attempting to pass information on the design of US nuclear submarines to someone he believed to be a representative of a foreign government but who turned out to be an undercover FBI agent.

In a criminal complaint detailing charges related to espionage, the US Department of Justice (DoJ) said Jonathan Toebbe had sold information for nearly a year to a contact he said represented a foreign power. This country was not named in court documents.

Toebbe, 42, was arrested in West Virginia on Saturday with his wife, 45, Diana Toebbe, after placing a removable memory card at a preestablished neutral point in the state, according to the DoJ. The Toebbes are from Annapolis, Maryland.

It was not immediately clear if Toebbe had a lawyer who could speak on their behalf. The Navy declined to comment.

The FBI says the program began in April 2020 when Jonathan Toebbe sent a package of Navy documents to a foreign government and said he was interested in selling operations manuals, performance reports and other sensitive information.

Authorities say he also provided instructions on how to conduct the stealth relationship, with a letter that read: I apologize for this poor translation into your language. Please forward this letter to your military intelligence agency. I believe this information will be of great value to your nation. This is not a hoax.

The FBI office in the foreign country received the package, which had a return address from Pittsburgh, last December. This led to a months-long undercover operation in which an agent posing as a foreign government official offered to pay thousands of dollars in cryptocurrency for the information Toebbe was offering.

In June, according to the FBI, the undercover agent sent Toebbe $ 10,000 in cryptocurrency, describing it as a sign of good faith and trust.

The following week, FBI agents watched the Toebbes arrive at an agreed location in West Virginia for the exchange, with Diana Toebbe appearing to serve as a lookout for her husband during the fall operation, according to the complaint.

The FBI recovered a blue SD card wrapped in plastic and placed between two slices of bread on a peanut butter sandwich, according to the complaint.

The FBI paid Toebbe $ 20,000 for the transaction and provided the contents of the SD card to a Navy subject matter expert, who determined that the records included design elements and performance characteristics of the reactors under – Virginia-class sailors, the Justice Department said.

These submarines are sophisticated, nuclear-powered cruise missile fast attack submarines, according to the complaint.

The SD card also included a typed message which read, in part: I hope your experts are very satisfied with the sample provided and I understand the importance of a small exchange to increase our confidence.

The FBI conducted similar dead end exchanges over the following months, including one in August in Virginia in which Toebbe was paid $ 70,000 and hid an SD card in a packet of gum, according to the complaint.

The complaint alleges violations of the Atomic Energy Act, which restricts the disclosure of information relating to atomic weapons or nuclear materials.

The Toebbes are scheduled to appear in court Tuesday in Martinsburg, West Virginia.

Jonathan Toebbe has worked for the US government since 2012, holding a top-secret security clearance and specializing in naval nuclear propulsion, according to the FBI. He was also assigned to a Pittsburgh-area lab that officials say works on nuclear power for the US Navy.

No one responded to the Toebbe residence on Sunday afternoon in a waterfront community in Annapolis near the South River. An outside light was on above the door and a dog was barking inside.

John Cooley, who lives across the street from the Toebbes, said he counted more than 30 FBI agents in his neighborhood on Saturday from about 2:30 p.m. until nightfall. He said the officers entered the house.

Sources 1/ https://Google.com/ 2/ https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/oct/10/us-navy-engineer-charged-with-trying-so-sell-nuclear-submarine-secrets The mention sources can contact us to remove/changing this article

What Are The Main Benefits Of Comparing Car Insurance Quotes Online

LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 24, 2020, / Compare-autoinsurance.Org has launched a new blog post that presents the main benefits of comparing multiple car insurance quotes. For more info and free online quotes, please visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/the-advantages-of-comparing-prices-with-car-insurance-quotes-online/ The modern society has numerous technological advantages. One important advantage is the speed at which information is sent and received. With the help of the internet, the shopping habits of many persons have drastically changed. The car insurance industry hasn't remained untouched by these changes. On the internet, drivers can compare insurance prices and find out which sellers have the best offers. View photos The advantages of comparing online car insurance quotes are the following: Online quotes can be obtained from anywhere and at any time. Unlike physical insurance agencies, websites don't have a specific schedule and they are available at any time. Drivers that have busy working schedules, can compare quotes from anywhere and at any time, even at midnight. Multiple choices. Almost all insurance providers, no matter if they are well-known brands or just local insurers, have an online presence. Online quotes will allow policyholders the chance to discover multiple insurance companies and check their prices. Drivers are no longer required to get quotes from just a few known insurance companies. Also, local and regional insurers can provide lower insurance rates for the same services. Accurate insurance estimates. Online quotes can only be accurate if the customers provide accurate and real info about their car models and driving history. Lying about past driving incidents can make the price estimates to be lower, but when dealing with an insurance company lying to them is useless. Usually, insurance companies will do research about a potential customer before granting him coverage. Online quotes can be sorted easily. Although drivers are recommended to not choose a policy just based on its price, drivers can easily sort quotes by insurance price. Using brokerage websites will allow drivers to get quotes from multiple insurers, thus making the comparison faster and easier. For additional info, money-saving tips, and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ Compare-autoinsurance.Org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. "Online quotes can easily help drivers obtain better car insurance deals. All they have to do is to complete an online form with accurate and real info, then compare prices", said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. CONTACT: Company Name: Internet Marketing CompanyPerson for contact Name: Gurgu CPhone Number: (818) 359-3898Email: [email protected]: https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ SOURCE: Compare-autoinsurance.Org View source version on accesswire.Com:https://www.Accesswire.Com/595055/What-Are-The-Main-Benefits-Of-Comparing-Car-Insurance-Quotes-Online View photos