Ex-Nuclear Engineer Arrested for Espionage

[Sean C]

Story from NPR (https://www.npr.org/2021/10/10/1044883780/nuclear-engineer-navy-and-wife-arrested-espionage-charges)

Criminal complaint (https://www.justice.gov/opa/press-release/file/1440946/download)



Authorities said military secrets were hidden in a peanut butter sandwich

A former nuclear engineer officer in the U.S. Navy and his wife have been arrested on espionage charges, after allegedly attempting to sell secrets about submarines to a foreign entity, according to court records unsealed Sunday

The Department of Justice says Jonathan Toebbe and his wife, Diana Toebbe, were arrested Saturday and charged with violating the Atomic Energy Act. The department says he unwittingly communicated with FBI agents and passed along sensitive military secrets, in a scheme that stretched nearly a year.

[Jimbuna]

I wonder what country they thought they were selling the information to.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-58863678

[Exocet25fr]

maybe a country in the Pacific wich need nuclear engines for few subs ? :D

[Aktungbby]

...having read the E-mails Mr Toebbe sent to his supposed contact citing 'ignorance of espianage' and 'desiring to build trust' blah blah etc.etc.; together with the piddling sums obtained, the poor idiot should be released on lifetime probation following mandatory gender reassignment surgery; and required not to associate with known criminal associates(his bimbo older wife who put him up to it??) as condition of probation! The thought of taxpayer $$'s feeding, housing and medical care is simply not worth the cost; inasmuch as the liaison of the foreign power he originally contacted immediately informed the FBI, this setting in motion an entrapment-investigation where no real damage or loss of secrecy ocurred....Julius and Ethel Rosenburg(both electrocuted for 50's Commie-nuclear spying)this ain't!

[Sean C]

I wonder what country they thought they were selling the information to.


I wondered the same. At any rate, as Aktungbby pointed out, someone decided it wasn't worth the risk and turned the material over to the U.S. This is the part of the story that most interests me. I wonder who that was ... and, more importantly, how many other letters have not been turned over. :hmmm: