They sold information about American nuclear submarines and seized them

a American couple arrested in West Virginia Accused of selling information on nuclear ships for what she believes to be a Foreign countryThe Justice Department reported Sunday.

for about a year, The pair “sold known information and restricted data regarding the design of nuclear ships to a person believed to represent a foreign country”The statement adds. The recipient was an undercover FBI agent.

Jonathan Toby, who gained access to restricted data due to his work on nuclear-powered warships, He collaborated with his wife to hand over data on offshore nuclear reactors for $100,000 in cryptocurrency, shown in the affidavit included in the complaint.

In April 2020 Toby mailed a package to a foreign government which included “a sample of restricted data and instructions for establishing a confidential relationship,” according to that document.

The complaint says that The FBI intercepted the package and an undercover agent He pretended to be a representative of that foreign government in order to establish a relationship with the couple.

Agent Jonathan Toby, who used the alias Alice, sent a An email giving you a gift as a thank you gift for the data. However, Toebee responded with caution, asking instead to set up a delivery site and charge cryptocurrency fees instead.

In the following months, The couple transferred multiple SD cards with data to the agent. In the first batch, the agent said in the complaint, “The SD card was wrapped in plastic between slices of bread in a peanut butter sandwich.”

Other cards are hidden in a packet of bubble gum and Band Aid laminated with the attached tape.
The couple, both in their 40s, were arrested on Saturday. At the time of delivery of another SD card.

United States Attorney Merrick Garland He praised the parties that participated in “thwarting the plot.” “The first step is to bring the criminals to justice,” the statement said.

The The Ministry of Defense declined to comment on the news When contacted by AFP. The couple will appear in federal court in West Virginia on Tuesday.

The American submarines She moved to nuclear power, she was recently in Spotlight when Australia and Britain unveiled a new contract The defense negotiated secretly for several months.

to close that deal, Australia has broken an already agreed multi-million dollar purchase of French conventional submarines This unleashed a serious diplomatic problem between Canberra and Paris and between the Gallic government and Washington.