A former US Navy engineer pleaded guilty on Monday to attempting to pass classified information about America’s nuclear-powered warships to an individual he believed was representing a foreign government.
Jonathan Toebbe, 43, appeared in federal court in Martinsburg, West Virginia, where he was charged with a single count of conspiracy to communicate restricted data, punishable by between 12 and 17 years in prison.
Toebbe and his wife, Diana, were detained in October after authorities claimed that he had taken advantage of his access to classified information and sold details about Virginia-class submarines. In his role as an engineer, he had previously held a top secret security clearance at the Department of Defense.