An ex-NSA staffer gets almost 22-year sentence for attempting to trade classified details with Russia.
Jareh Sebastian Dalke, a 32-year-old US Army veteran from Colorado, had previously worked at the NSA. He was in the process of reapplying to the agency when he attempted to sell classified information to someone he believed to be a Russian agent, but who turned out to be an FBI agent undercover.
Attorney General Merrick Garland stated in a press release on Monday, "This individual, who had sworn an oath to protect our country, thought he was selling classified national security details to a Russian operative, when in reality, it was the FBI he was exposing himself to." His statement reaffirms the government's stance that anyone attempting to betray the nation will face legal consequences.
According to court documents, Dalke held correspondence with the FBI representative in 2022. He confessed to being captivated by secrets and seeking to induce change.
In his emails, Dalke conveyed his financial struggles and stated, "There is a chance to level the playing field and meet my own requirements simultaneously."
The defendant shared bits of several classified documents with the undercover agent as evidence of his "legitimate access and readiness to divulge," according to prosecutors. He requested $85,000 in exchange for all the information he possessed.
The documents Dalke passed on provided details about sensitive US defense capabilities, a threat assessment for an unnamed nation, and information on a US cryptographic technology.
To complete the transaction in September 2023, the agent told Dalke to go to a train station in Denver and transfer the documents via a secure connection, the court records reveal. Dalke left his phone at home and deactivated his vehicle's location tracking before parking nearby and using his laptop to transmit five documents through the secure connection.
Seconds later, he was apprehended by the FBI.
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Source: edition.cnn.com
