A married pair from Maryland has been arrested on suspicion of marketing solution facts about the style and design of nuclear-run warships.
Jonathan and Diana Toebbe, both of Annapolis, have been arrested in Jefferson County, West Virginia, by the FBI and the Naval Criminal Investigative Company on Saturday, Oct 9.
It is alleged that 42-year-previous Naval nuclear engineer Jonathan Toebbe, with the enable of his 45-calendar year-previous wife, bought information and facts categorized as Limited Data to an undercover FBI agent who they thought was a representative of a overseas electric power.
The complaint affidavit alleges that on April 1, 2020, Jonathan Toebbe sent a offer to a overseas government containing a sample of Limited Details along with instructions for creating a covert romance to order extra of it.
Toebbe allegedly corresponded with an undercover agent posing as a consultant of that government for months ahead of agreeing to exfiltrate Restricted Information and provide it for countless numbers of dollars in crypto-currency.
Following acquiring a $10,000 advance payment, Toebbe and his wife allegedly organized to leave an SD card made up of the data at a pre-arranged location in West Virginia on June 26.
Whilst his spouse allegedly acted as a lookout, Toebbe allegedly done the lifeless drop by hiding an encrypted SD card in a peanut butter sandwich and leaving it at a website agreed upon with the agent.
The agent retrieved the card and paid out Jonathan Toebbe $20,000 for the encryption vital. The card was uncovered to comprise Limited Info connected to submarine nuclear reactors.
On August 28, Jonathan Toebbe allegedly designed a second useless fall, this time concealing an SD card in a pack of chewing gum and accepting a payment of $70,000 from the undercover agent.
The FBI arrested Jonathan and Diana Toebbe on Oct 9, soon after he put a 3rd SD card at a pre-arranged locale in West Virginia.
The Toebbes have been charged in a legal criticism alleging violations of the Atomic Power Act. The pair, who have two kids, are due to surface prior to a federal court in Martinsburg, West Virginia, tomorrow.
Following her arrest, Diana Toebbe has been suspended from her occupation as a humanities trainer at the personal Important College in Annapolis.
Some parts of this article are sourced from:
www.infosecurity-journal.com