On September 28, 2022, federal authorities apprehended Jareh Sebastian Dalke on charges related to espionage.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado accused Dalke, a 30-year-old National Security Agency (NSA) employee, of attempting to share highly classified National Defense Information (NDI) with a representative of a foreign government.
Recent reports confirmed that he pleaded guilty in connection with his endeavor to sell classified information to Russia.
A press release from the Justice Department’s Office of Public Affairs, dated October 23, disclosed that Dalke, now 31, entered guilty pleas to six counts of attempting to transmit NDI to a Russian Federation representative.
“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.” DOJ wrote.
Charging documents revealed that he served as an Information Systems Security Designer at the NSA for 26 days, with his employment ending on July 1, 2022.
During August and September 2022, Dalke utilized an email account to send encrypted excerpts from classified NDI documents he acquired during his NSA employment to an individual he believed to be a Russian agent. Unbeknownst to Dalke, this individual was an undercover FBI agent.
An affidavit accompanying the criminal complaint alleged that Dalke confessed to taking highly classified documents from his NSA tenure, which pertained to United States cyber operations, “foreign targeting of US systems,” and other security-related matters.
Dalke arranged a meeting with the undercover FBI agent in Denver, Colorado, with the intention of exchanging the documents for payment through a specific cryptocurrency. He cited financial difficulties as his motivation. Federal agents took him into custody shortly after his arrival on September 28, 2022.
As part of his plea agreement, Dalke acknowledged that he knowingly transmitted classified information to the undercover agent, believing it would be used to harm the United States and benefit Russia.
He now faces potential penalties of life imprisonment, fines, and additional assessments. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for April 26, 2024.
