Former National Security Agency (NSA) employee Jareh Sebastian Dalke, from Colorado Springs, pleaded guilty to federal charges for attempting to convey secret national security data to Russia.
Last year, Dalke, 31, was accused of seeking to provide a foreign official national security information. Dalke swapped $85,000 for transmitting classified data to an undercover FBI agent he believed was affiliated with the Russian SVR, the country's foreign intelligence branch, as per court documents, per CBS News.
The undercover FBI agent who was working on the case got in touch with Dalke and asked him to send the sensitive data via encrypted email. In one email, Dalke expressed his eagerness to share the sensitive data.
"I am very happy to finally provide this information to you. . . . I look forward to our friendship and shared benefit. Please let me know if there are desired documents to find and I will try when I return to my main office," as quoted in the US Department of Justice news release.
A federal public defender representing Dalke does not comment on pending matters.
Top Secret US Military Data Leaked
An estimate of the military offensive capabilities of an unidentified third nation was among the intelligence Dalke planned to provide Russia, per the accusation against him. Additionally, details of highly classified US defense capabilities were transmitted, some of which were connected to the same foreign nation.
Using a laptop computer and other procedures, Dalke then planned to deliver further secret material in his possession to the alleged Russian agent at Union Station in downtown Denver. He had sent five files, four of which contained Top Secret NDI, according to the US Department of Justice.
Jareh Sebastian Dalke served as an information systems security designer for the NSA, which collected and analyzed foreign and domestic signals for intelligence and counterintelligence. Following the delivery of sensitive material to the undercover agent, Dalke decided to reapply for a position at the NSA, AP News reported.
During a hearing last year, one of Dalke's federal public defenders played down his access to top-secret information by pointing out that he had only been working for the NSA for less than a month.
Dalke Facing Life Sentence
Dalke's sentencing is set for April 26, 2024, and he might get a life sentence. The US district court judge will consider the US Sentencing Guidelines and other legal factors while sentencing.
The statement was given by US Attorney Cole Finegan of the District of Colorado, FBI Executive Assistant Director Larissa L. Knapp, and Justice Department Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen.
The FBI's Washington and Denver Field Offices are investigating the case of Jareh Sebastian Dalke.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant US Attorneys Jena R. Neuscheler and Julia K. Martinez from the District of Colorado and Trial Attorneys Christina A. Clark and Adam L. Small from the National Security Division's Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.
