Prosecutors seek detention in Navy submarine espionage case

WASHINGTON – Federal prosecutors asked Monday that a Navy technologist stay locked up arsenic they property guardant with charges that helium tried to merchantability submarine secrets to a overseas country.

The detention memo for Jonathan Toebbe was filed up of an expected quality successful national tribunal successful West Virginia connected Tuesday. The Justice Department submitted an identical question for Toebbe's wife, Diana, who was besides arrested Saturday.

Jonathan Toebbe is accused of passing connected plan accusation astir blase Virginia-class submarines to idiosyncratic helium thought represented a overseas authorities but who was really an undercover FBI agent. The individuality of the state was not revealed successful tribunal documents.

According to the documents, Toebbe reached retired successful April 2020 to the overseas state to connection accusation astir the submarines and to supply instructions for however to support a furtive dialogue. But the bundle helium sent was obtained 8 months aboriginal by the FBI, which initiated interaction with Toebbe done an undercover cause who agreed to wage tens of thousands of dollars successful cryptocurrency successful speech for the authorities secrets.

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Over the adjacent respective months, Toebbe near representation cards containing delicate documents astatine pre-arranged “dead drop” locations, concealing it successful 1 lawsuit wrong a peanut food sandwich and connected different occasions wrong a chewing gum bundle and a Band-Aid wrapper, the FBI says.

Diana Toebbe accompanied him connected respective occasions, including serving arsenic a lookout during 1 specified dead-drop cognition successful Jefferson County, West Virginia, tribunal documents say.

It was not instantly wide if either of the Toebbes had an attorney.

In the detention memo, prosecutors checked boxes indicating that they judge the Toebbes correspond a hazard to fly and to obstruct justice. They besides checked boxes showing that the prosecution, nether the Atomic Energy Act, involves an “offense for which the maximum condemnation is beingness imprisonment oregon death.”

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