Colorado: Former NSA Employee Attempts Selling US Classified Documents to Russia

Jareh Sebastian Dalke, a 31-year-old resident of Colorado Springs, has entered a guilty plea for six counts of attempting to transmit classified National Defense Information to someone he believed was a Russian agent.

In a startling twist, that individual turned out to be an undercover FBI employee, according to AXIOS.

The former Colorado NSA employee confessed to engaging in this unlawful activity between August and September 2022.

His purpose was to demonstrate his "legitimate access and willingness to share" classified information, which he carried out using an encrypted email account to transmit excerpts from three top-secret documents, as revealed in a statement from the Department of Justice.

For these illicit actions, Dalke received $16,499 in cryptocurrency for providing excerpts of NDI documents.

Subsequently, he offered to sell the remaining classified information, designated as "Top Secret//Sensitive Compartmented Information," for $85,000 following the plea agreement's terms.

The former Colorado NSA employee claimed that this information would hold value for Russia and assured an undercover FBI employee, whom he believed to be a Russian agent, that he would share more information in the future, particularly upon his return to the Washington, DC area, as noted by the Department of Justice.

Former Colorado NSA Employee's Espionage Attempt

Following the instructions of an undercover FBI employee, Dalke was directed to be present at Denver's downtown train station on September 28, 2022.

His task was to transmit the classified documents using a secure digital connection within four hours.

Dalke arrived at the designated location with his laptop and initiated the process by sending a Russian letter expressing his anticipation of a "friendship and shared benefit."

Shortly after transmitting all the classified files from his laptop, Dalke was arrested by FBI agents, AP reports.

The indictment revealed that the information Dalke intended to share with Russia encompassed a threat assessment related to the military offensive capabilities of a third, unnamed country.

Additionally, it involved descriptions of sensitive US defense capabilities, some of which were linked to the same foreign country.

As part of the plea agreement, Dalke has committed to cooperating with authorities by providing truthful, accurate, and valuable information about the events that transpired.

Notably, Dalke had previously worked as an information systems security designer for the NSA, a US intelligence agency responsible for the collection and analysis of signals from both foreign and domestic sources for intelligence and counterintelligence purposes.

Strikingly, after leaving the NSA and providing classified information to the undercover agent, the former Colorado NSA employee allegedly reapplied for a position within the agency.

During a hearing in the previous year, Dalke's federal public defender emphasized the limited duration of his employment at the NSA, seeking to downplay the extent of his access to classified information due to his relatively short tenure at the agency.

Jareh Sebastian Dalke

Jareh Sebastian Dalke's history includes service in the Army, where he held a private position and volunteered as a police officer with the Colorado Reserves, often referred to as the Rangers, per The Daily Mail.

The Colorado Reserves are crucial in supporting local law enforcement during crisis events.

Dalke pursued an education in cybersecurity and indicated to federal authorities that he had obtained both a bachelor's and a master's degree in the field.

Although his tenure at the NSA was relatively brief, it concluded with an exit interview in which he stated the need to care for an ill family member and asserted that the job did not afford him enough time.

According to prosecutors, the former Colorado NSA employee told the undercover agent that he had accumulated $237,000 in debts and decided to collaborate with Russia due to his heritage and connections to the country.

Initially, Dalke entered a not-guilty plea to all charges brought against him. However, he subsequently reversed his plea to guilty during the proceedings.

As of Monday, the specific details of his sentence remain undisclosed.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Bert Hoover

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