WASHINGTON, A couple from Maryland was arrested in March on charges that they tried to sell information about nuclear warships to a foreign nation. The Justice Department announced Tuesday.
Federal prosecutors have charged Jonathan and Diana Toebbe with one count each of conspiracy to transmit restricted data and two counts respectively of communication of restricted data.
They were taken into custody in West Virginia on October 9th and charged with violating the Atomic Energy Act. They are due to appear in federal court Wednesday for a hearing.
Jonathan Toebbe is a Navy nuclear engineer who was accused of trying pass information on the design of submarines onto someone he believed was a representative from a foreign country, but was in fact an undercover FBI agent. The identity of the foreign country to which he is accused does not appear in court documents.
Prosecutors allege that Diana Toebbe was with her husband to several pre-arranged “dead drop” locations, where he left behind sensitive information on memory cards.
