Navy nuclear engineer espionage8/10/2023 ![]() Within days, the complaint said, Toebbe confirmed he’d received the signal and was ready to go ahead with a dead drop. The FBI then placed a signal “at a location associated with COUNTRY1″ over Memorial Day weekend, it said. “They’re operating in very close proximity to the reactor, so they have to deal with noise and also battle situations such as withstanding shock.”Īccording to the criminal complaint, Toebbe spent months negotiating with his contacts, asking at one point if there was “some physical signal” that could be sent so who he thought were foreign representatives could prove their identity. ”It’s different than the commercial nuclear reactors,” Palmer said. There is also research into refining the subs that could be imparted to interested countries. That’s not the only technology that could be of use to other nations. an advantage in that its nuclear submarines can stay underwater for long periods without needing to refuel, said Camille Palmer, associate professor of nuclear science and engineering at Oregon State University. ![]() While the technology has been around for years, the United States has long been a leader in nuclear submarine development. Replacing the older Los Angeles-class attack subs, they currently cost about $3.5 billion each. The Navy plans to eventually buy 66 of the submarines, which carry cruise missiles and also are designed to hunt and destroy other submarines and to be used for gathering intelligence. The Navy already has taken delivery of 19 Virginia-class submarines, built by General Dynamics Electric Boat in Groton, Connecticut, and Huntington Ingalls Industries in Newport News, Virginia. The information Jonathan Toebbe allegedly provided during the sting included information about the nuclear reactors for the Virginia class of fast-attack submarines, according to a court document, which he allegedly agreed to provide data from in exchange for thousands of dollars’ worth of cryptocurrency. Agents knocked on every door in the quiet, kid-friendly, tree-lined neighborhood wanting to know about the couple’s “patterns of life,” how they acted or whether they ever heard any arguing, said the neighbors, who declined to give their names. The memory card contained "militarily sensitive design elements, operating parameters and performance characteristics of Virginia-class submarine reactors," according to a federal court affidavit.Neighbors said that on Saturday federal agents swarmed the Toebbes’ home in the Hillsmere Estates neighborhood of Annapolis, which they purchased in 2014 for $430,000, according to state real estate records. Toebbe, with the aid of his 45-year-old wife, allegedly sold secrets to an undercover FBI agent posing as a foreign official over the course of several months, the Justice Department said.Īt one point, Toebbe hid a digital memory card containing documents about submarine nuclear reactors in half a peanut butter sandwich at a "dead drop" location in West Virginia while his wife acted as lookout, the Justice Department said. ![]() The judge told them they qualify for court-appointed legal counsel. No lawyer was present for the couple at Tuesday's initial 15-minute court appearance. The Toebbes will remain in jail while they await Friday's hearing. Magistrate Judge Robert Trumble scheduled a court hearing for Friday on the Justice Department's request that the Toebbes be jailed while they await trial. The Justice Department did not name the country involved. The Toebbes did not speak other than to briefly answer the judge's questions, indicating they understood their rights. Toebbe, 42, a nuclear engineer with top-secret security clearance, is accused of sending Navy documents to an unnamed foreign entity in 2020, along with instructions for how to obtain additional information. ![]()
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