Suspect In Annapolis Espionage Case Pleads Guilty: Report

Annapolis MD

14 February, 2022

4:56 PM

Description

ANNAPOLIS, MD — An Annapolis man accused of espionage-related crimes pleaded guilty Monday, the Associated Press reported. The accused, 43-year-old Jonathan Toebbe, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to communicate restricted data, AP writer Eric Tucker said. Jonathan Toebbe's plea deal calls for between 12 and 17 years in federal prison, the AP wrote. Toebbe, who had a top-secret security clearance, also agreed to help find all the classified information and the cryptocurrency payments that he received. The investigation first made headlines in October when officials accused Jonathan Toebbe and his wife, Diana Toebbe, of conspiring to sell government secrets. Prosecutors said the suspects thought they were working with a foreign government, but they were really coordinating with an undercover FBI agent trying to catch them. The suspects then agreed to sell three files on nuclear-powered warships to the undercover agent in exchange for $100,000 in cryptocurrency, the government said. Authorities said they eventually caught the suspects hiding several encrypted SD cards in West Virginia and Virginia, using decoy containers such as a peanut butter sandwich and a chewing gum package. The FBI and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service arrested the couple on Oct. 9, 2021, in Jefferson County, West Virginia. The U.S. Department of Justice identified the arrestees as Jonathan Toebbe, a nuclear engineer for the Department of the Navy, and Diana Toebbe, who was accused of playing lookout during the drop-offs. Diana Toebbe later asked the court to be able to stay at home with the couple's two children until the trial. Washington Post journalist Devlin Barrett said a judge rejected that request on Oct. 21, 2021, calling Diana Toebbe a flight risk. To learn more about the plea deal, read the full Associated Press story. RELATED: Annapolis Espionage Trial Postponed Until 2022: ReportAnnapolis Spy Suspect Must Stay In Prison Until Trial: ReportMD Couple Faces Espionage Charges Over Secret Data: FBI Have a story idea? Please contact me at [email protected] with any pitches, tips or questions. Follow me on Twitter @JacobBaumgart and on Facebook @JacobBaumgartJournalist to stay up-to-date with the latest Anne Arundel County and Prince George's County news.