US Nuclear Engineers Charged Over Sale Of Naval Secrets For Crypto

US Nuclear engineers couple were charged over the sale of naval secrets in return for crypto as they received $100,000 in monero before they were arrested by the NCIS and FBI so let’s read more in our latest cryptocurrency news today.

The US Nuclear engineers were employed by the Department of The Navy and they were charged with attempting to sell restricted data to an undercover government agent in exchange for Monero. According to the criminal complaint filed on Friday by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Jonathan and Diana Toebbe from Maryland were engaged in a conspiracy to sell information related to the design of US nuclear submarines to a foreign nation referred to as COUNTRY 1 in the complaint and affidavit.

Jonathan Toebbe who is an engineer assigned to the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program held an active national security clearance in the US Department of Defense which granted him access to sensitive information. The charge alleged that the pair violated the Atomic Energy Act which prohibits the communication, transmission, or disclosure of the restricted nuclear data with goals to injure the US or to secure advantages over foreign nations. The use of crypto as payment in the case of a national security issue could embolden the regulators and congress members that argue for curbs on crypto due to what they say is prevalent in the cases of facilitating illegal activity.

According to the affidavit, Jonathan Toebbe send a package with a sample of restricted data to a foreign government in a bid to establish the relationship to purchase more sensitive information. The complaint alleges that Toebbe started corresponding in an encrypted email with the individual whom he believed to be a representative for a foreign government. He and his wife attempted to sell the data on three occasions as per the complaint. The pair met with an undercover agent not knowing and handed over restricted documents like data loaded onto SD cards concealed in a chewing gum packet and half a peanut butter sandwich. The review of the SD card showed that they contained restricted data to a submarine nuclear reactor.

The pair recieved a total of $100,000 in monero before getting arrested by the FBI and the NCIS. They will appear in federal court in Martinsburg, West Virginia on Tuesday.