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American Couple Attempts to Leak Nuclear-Submarine Restricted Data

Nuclear submarines have been a topic of international concern and tension in recent months. As seen in the USA’s poorly handled deal with the French, and subsequent partnership with Australia, the relevance of these naval powerhouses is significant. Most recently, an American couple- Jonathan and Diana Toebbe- were arrested by the FBI and the NCIS after selling “information known as Restricted Data concerning the design of nuclear-powered warships” to an undercover FBI agent, posing as an international representative. Mr. Toebbe has been employed as a nuclear engineer for the Department of the Navy’s Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program. It was through this job, and the national security clearance his job provided him with, that he was able to access this highly sensitive information. The “leaked” information outlined the specific design elements and processes of the warships, the characteristics of the reactors on the ships, and the submarine’s general operating principles. Because only 6 countries currently own these Nuclear-powered submarines, the leaking of this information would be of mammoth relevance to the United States, and other 5 countries. Jonathan Toebbe was in communication with the undercover agent for about a year, communicating via encrypted email and improperly addressed packages. Through these communications, the Toebbe’s established a “drop site” with the undercover agent. It was at this drop site in West Virginia that Toebbe disguised an SD card inside a sandwich, leaving it to be picked up by who he thought was a representative of an international power. Then, once picking up the aforementioned embedded SD card, the agent sent $20,000 of cryptocurrency to Jonathan, who, in response, emailed the agent the SD card’s decryption key. On the SD card was Restricted Data outlining the nuclear-submarine’s reactors. A similar interaction occurred months later in August, only this time, Toebbe received $70,000 in cryptocurrency. Jonathan and his wife were arrested two days ago in West Virginia under clear violation of the Atomic Energy Act. As nuclear-powered submarines become more coveted, it is safe to assume that similar acts of espionage and violation will occur. 



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