WV/PA/MD/VA - Jonathan and Diana Toebbe, charged, shared submarine secrets with a foreign country, 2020

[Elley Mae]

Navy nuclear engineer and his wife charged with trying to share submarine secrets with a foreign country

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nati...eb90_story.html?itid=lk_interstitial_manual_8

The court papers say that in December 2020, an FBI official received a package that had been sent to the foreign country containing U.S. Navy documents, a letter and instructions for how to conduct encrypted communications with the person offering the information.

The FBI later recovered the package Toebbe left behind and inside found a 16-gigabyte data card. The card, authorities said, “was wrapped in plastic and placed between two slices of bread on a half of a peanut butter sandwich. The half sandwich was housed inside of a plastic bag.”
Authorities said another payment of $20,000 followed, and the dead drops continued, with data cards hidden in a Band-Aid wrapper and a chewing gum package.

 

[Elley Mae]

Judge detains Annapolis couple federally charged with espionage

Md. couple federally charged in espionage case ordered detained

 

[Elley Mae]

Former Colorado Teachers Jonathan & Diana Toebbe Now Accused In Espionage Case

Former Colorado Teachers Jonathan & Diana Toebbe Now Accused In Espionage Case

 

[Cryptic]

Though a final decision on bail has not been made, it looks like the judge is considering not permitting bail.

Maryland Couple Accused in Espionage Case to Remain in Federal Custody.


As a side note, this couple is accused of a very, very serious form of espionage.

The classified material that they attempted to sell included secret performance reviews of the latest nuclear submarine and even more importantly, hundreds of schematic drawings and other engineering studies.

Submarine secrets are considered atomic secrets, which along with strategic use codes, is the highest level of secrecy.

In short, the espionage was not say: Junior enlisted file clerk copies and tries to sell low level For Official Use Only type material that though not classified, is preferably kept confidential.

Nor did it even involve secret, but low level (when compared to strategic material) like this convicted spy sold:Former Army Green Beret Sentenced for Russian Espionage Conspiracy. Rather, the material was of true strategic importance and could be "war changing".

 

[Elley Mae]

Leak Of Military Secrets Could Cause 'Grave Damage' To U.S., Defense Expert Warns

According to charging documents, the plot began in April 2020 when Toebbe sent an unsolicited package containing sensitive data to a foreign intelligence agency. The package was later handed over to the FBI, which set up a sting operation using an undercover agent posing as a foreign intelligence officer.

News of the Toebbes’ arrests stunned those who live in the couple’s Annapolis neighborhood, which was swarming with federal agents over the weekend.

“Everybody felt bad because we knew they had kids,” said neighbor Jennifer McCormick. “That was everybody’s first concern.”

 

[Cryptic]

Navy nuclear engineer and wife indicted for allegedly trying to sell submarine secrets

It looks like both have been indicted of two criminal charges each. As the other headlines have implied, not only are the charges serious, but the nature of the secrets they sought to sell was truly strategic level. Strategic secrets are based on the ability of the United States to respond as a nation to certain threats.

As a result, strategic information is far greater than secrets related to: "My individual unit is currently conducting training "t" and in a war, would do "d" " type information. Or, "I can sell you copies of documents that the US would prefer to keep confidential" type stuff.

 

[OldBackstop]

What country do y'all think?

 

[Cryptic]

What country do y'all think?

The country involved tipped off US authorities about the couple. That would seem to strongly imply that it was not China nor Russia, both of whom would value to the secrets far more than they would a desire to remain a good neighbor to Uncle Sam.

The country would probably also need to build advanced submarines and thus be capable of actually using the secrets. These include:

- France Sells advanced diesel submarines all over the world and also builds nuclear ones for their own navy and.... offers nuclear upgrades to diesel designs.

- United Kingdom builds nuclear submarines for their own navy

- Germany and Japan build advanced diesel submarines for their navies. Germany has alot of foreign customers. Not so Japan as their subs are extremely expensive and Australia did not like some aspects of their designs.

- Australia, South Korea, India and Spain All build, or will build advanced diesel submarines under license using foreign designs or by assembling kits. India also leases a nuclear sub from Russia and has plans to build their own.

I am thinking......

The country was France or India as the couple was selling nuclear designs and both countries have nuclear submarines. Though United Kingdom also has nuclear submarines, my guess is that the couple would have thought them too close to the US to risk it.

 

[Cryptic]

Yikes, it looks like the duo might have some future leverage over the proscecutors:

Prosecutors accuse Maryland couple of hiding additional classified naval secrets - CNNPolitics

It looks like they encrypted various emails to such a degree that the government cannot get access to a substantial amount of the secret material they stole and offered for sale.

Fortunately, the case itself still seems very solid- couple is on video tape leaving secret material in exchange for cash on several occasions.

But.... they might be able to use the encrypted material as leverage in the future. Convicted FBI spy Hansen was able to leverage information that he still had access to and struck a deal where his wife and children still receive his FBI pension- though he is doing LWOP.

 

[JerseyGirl]

Trial for couple charged with trying to sell nuclear secrets postponed until February | WDVM25 & DCW50 | Washington, DC

Pre-trial motions were to have been delivered this week. But U.S. District Judge Gina Groh has set February 17 as the new date. The trial is being held in the Mountain State because Jonathan and Dianna Toebbe were caught on video delivering allegedly classified material to a drop-off location along a hiking trail in Jefferson County. The FBI captured it all on video.

 

[Elley Mae]

What country do y'all think?

She was taken aback by President Donald J. Trump’s 2016 election, he said, and mentioned several times that she was considering moving to Australia.

A Babysitter and a Band-Aid Wrapper: Inside the Submarine Spy Case

....

Australia?

Eta not sure if this is coincidence.

French ambassador accuses Australia of deceit over submarine deal

https://www.washingtonpost.com/worl...940512-3c4b-11ec-bd6f-da376f47304e_story.html

 

[Elley Mae]

Olinits said the FBI has not been able to locate the roughly $100,000 in cryptocurrency payments that the bureau sent the Toebbes in exchange for the stolen government secrets, and that agents have also not yet recovered all the classified documents.

FBI: Cash, Shredded Papers Seen At Toebbe's Annapolis Home In Spy Case

 

[Cryptic]

Eta not sure if this is coincidence.

French ambassador accuses Australia of deceit over submarine deal
https://www.washingtonpost.com/worl...940512-3c4b-11ec-bd6f-da376f47304e_story.html

That is probably just a coincidence.

Bad feelings between France and the US over military equipment sales had been brewing for quite some time.

Australia's sudden pull out of the mega submarine contract that they had signed with France in favor of a US contract was just the latest round of it.

Years earlier, Poland had suddenly backed out of a contract to buy 24 large French helicopters. Poland now essentially shops only at Uncle Sam's equipment club. Likewise, Middle Eastern customers seemed to loose interest in possible purchases of French equipment after consultations or... perhaps "consultations" with US officials.

In all cases, the French accused of Uncle Sam of exerting undue diplomatic and economic pressure to buy American equipment. So, when the Australians pulled out of the submarine contract of the century with France in favor of none other than Uncle Sam-again, they hit the roof.

 

[JerseyGirl]

Accused spy hoped to flee U.S. because she hated Trump, say lawyers

In arguing she should be detained without bail while waiting for a trial, prosecutors had shown a judge a shorter version of the exchange in which Jonathan Toebbe says to his wife, “We’ve got passports, and some savings. In a real pinch we can flee,” and she responds, “Right. Let’s go sooner rather than later.”

In the new motion, defense lawyers say prosecutors turned over to them the full version of the exchange, which occurred on March 7, 2019. Their filing includes a longer excerpt, which begins with Diana Toebbe saying, “We need to get out,” and Jonathan Toebbe responding with an apparent reference to former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort: “At least he’s doing some hard time. And it’s short enough Trump likely (sic) won’t try to pardon him — he’s clearly already sold Mueller whatever he had.”

At the time, Manafort was facing criminal charges and appeared to be cooperating with special counsel Robert Mueller. Manafort was convicted, stopped cooperating, and ultimately was pardoned by Trump.

The Toebbes' exchange also contains a reference to French President Emmanuel Macron, which is notable because of speculation that the unnamed country to which the Toebbe’s had offered nuclear submarine secrets could be France. U.S. officials have told NBC News it’s not France, but they have declined to name the country.

 

[IDK]

I just don’t understand how they could do this to their kids, no matter how disgusted they were with the political scene. I guess they had no idea they would ever get caught.

 

[JerseyGirl]

Jury trials suspended in Maryland as COVID cases spike

Ongoing jury trials will be permitted to conclude, but those scheduled between Dec. 29 and Feb. 8 will be rescheduled, according to an order from Joseph M. Getty, Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals of Maryland.

 

[neesaki]

She was taken aback by President Donald J. Trump’s 2016 election, he said, and mentioned several times that she was considering moving to Australia.

A Babysitter and a Band-Aid Wrapper: Inside the Submarine Spy Case

....

Australia?

Eta not sure if this is coincidence.

French ambassador accuses Australia of deceit over submarine deal

https://www.washingtonpost.com/worl...940512-3c4b-11ec-bd6f-da376f47304e_story.html

What a bizarre reaction to an election, to become a traitor. As if the President is all that matters. What about the danger to our military, and all of us as citizens, not to mention their own family.
ETA: The Mrs. sounds like an emotionally unstable lunatic according to her social media posted in this article.
And the comments following the article are interesting.
Texts reveal wife of nuclear scientist accused of selling secrets wanted to flee US due to TRUMP | Daily Mail Online

 

[JerseyGirl]

Jonathan Toebbe, Navy Engineer Accused Of Espionage, To Appear In Court Monday

 

[Cryptic]

Jonathan Toebbe, Navy Engineer Accused Of Espionage, To Appear In Court Monday

Wow, I cant believe they let him plead guilty to a conspiracy offense that yields....... 12.5 to 17.5 years in prison. Then factor in 15% good time reductions and time served.

Add in the halfway house and Uncle Sam is good with letting this guy out in as early as.....10 years.

In the end, a man who offered to sell the nation's most closely held military secrets can see "light at the end of the tunnel" and eventually, have a life again- though not one of the same high income level he left behind.

But... he will potentially be there for a series of life events- his children graduating high school and college, getting married and having children. And all the associated Christmases and Thanksgivings in the time frame. Even if he is held near the maximum, he can still return to a life.

Meanwhile, how many people are serving decades in prison for relatively minor drug sales convictions? What the heck is wrong? Getting off my soap box.....

 

[Elley Mae]

Under the terms of Jonathan Toebbe’s plea agreement, he faces a likely prison sentence of roughly 12 years to 17½ years. He also agreed to help authorities recover all restricted or sensitive government data, as well as the money that an undercover FBI agent gave him as part of a sting operation to gather evidence.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2022/02/14/toebbe-plea-navy-spy/

There is data out there that they want, Jmo that is probably what lead to the plea.

Jmo