A 32-year-old Jareh Sebastian Dalke, who worked for the National Security Agency (NSA), was sentenced to 21 years in prison on Monday for trying to spy for Russia, said the Justice Department.
Dalke reportedly acquired classified documents while being employed at NSA for a short period. According to the court documents, he allegedly attempted to sell them for $85,000 to someone he believed was a Russian agent. He was actually dealing with an undercover FBI agent.
Dalke pleaded guilty in October in US District Court to six counts of attempting to transmit classified national defence information to an agent of a foreign government.
Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement, ‘This defendant, who had sworn an oath to defend our country, believed he was selling classified national security information to a Russian agent, when in fact, he was outing himself to the FB’.
This sentence shows that those who seek to betray our country will be held accountable for their crimes. The information Dalke intended to provide to Russia involved a threat assessment of the military capabilities of an undisclosed third country.
It also included details about sensitive US defence capabilities, some of which pertained to the same foreign nation. The terms of the plea deal specified that Dalke must cooperate with authorities, sharing truthful and valuable insights into his actions and their consequences.
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