FBI sting operation nets couple accused of trying to sell US nuclear secrets - CNN

US Navy nuclear engineer Jonathan Toebbe, who held a top-secret security clearance, and his wife Diana were arrested Saturday in West Virginia by the FBI and Naval Criminal Investigative Service after the couple allegedly sold information concerning the design of nuclear-powered US warships "to a person they believed was a representative of a foreign power but was actually an undercover FBI agent," according to a Department of Justice statement.

The Washington Post first reported on the alleged espionage plot.

The Justice Department said Toebbe had access to information on naval nuclear propulsion and sensitive military design elements including "operating parameters and performance characteristics of the reactors for nuclear powered warships."

An FBI agent in a criminal complaint justifying the arrest alleges Toebbe first sent a package to a foreign government in April 2020 offering to sell the nuclear secrets, and an undercover FBI agent responded several months later via an encrypted email program and corresponded with him.

area that involved placing a signal at a location associated with (the foreign government) in an attempted effort to gain bona fides with 'ALICE,'" the name Toebbe used as an alias when penning emails.

During what Toebbe believed to be a "dead drop," or a hiding spot spies use to secretly pass information, the FBI said it arrested Jonathan and Diana on Saturday after Jonathan "placed yet another SD card" with classified information at a pre-arranged location in West Virginia.

In March 2021, Toebbe allegedly wrote, "I am concerned that using a dead drop location your friend prepares makes me very vulnerable.

If other interested parties are observing the location, I will be unable to detect them."

Toebbe also said he was worried about receiving cash payments, because serial numbers can be traced, and he worried "tracking devices and other nasty surprises must be considered as well," according to the FBI's criminal complaint.

In April 2021, Toebbe allegedly wrote, "Is there some physical signal you can make that proves your identity to me?

Once he confirmed receipt of the cryptocurrency, Toebbe allegedly wrote, "I will give you the passphrase."

Toebbe also allegedly told the agent he would never use "the same drop location twice.

Perhaps as our friendship develops we will change addresses periodically?"

In June 2021, Toebbe and his wife traveled to West Virginia where the FBI said Toebbe "placed an SD card concealed within half a peanut butter sandwich at a pre-arranged 'dead drop' location."

After retrieving the SD card, the undercover agent sent Toebbe a $20,000 cryptocurrency payment and Toebbe responded with the description key for the card, according to the complaint.

The FBI said it "opened the provided SD card and provided the contents" to a US Navy subject matter expert, who confirmed it had classified information.

An ongoing correspondence

The FBI said Toebbe allegedly carried on the relationship with the undercover agent, making another dead drop in eastern Virginia in August 2021, where the FBI had him under surveillance as he left his house in Annapolis, Maryland, and drove to the dead drop.

The complaint said "the FBI observed JONATHAN TOEBBE service a dead drop in eastern Virginia.