A 31-year-old former security officer and Army veteran, Jareh Sebastian Dalke, pleaded guilty to attempting to sell classified national security information to an individual he believed was a Russian agent. Despite the severity of the crime, prosecutors have proposed a 22-year prison sentence in the plea deal, with a potential life sentence. The judge is set to announce Dalke’s fate in April next year.
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Dalke’s Engagement with the ‘Russian Agent’
Dalke, in conversations with an undercover FBI agent posing as a Russian operative, claimed ties to Russia through his heritage and expressed a desire to “cause change” in response to perceived damage caused by the USA globally. Court documents revealed his significant debt of $237,000.
The plea deal outlines that Dalke received $16,499 in cryptocurrency last year for providing excerpts of classified documents. Subsequently, he offered to sell the remaining information for $85,000, leading to a pre-arranged meeting at Denver’s downtown train station.
The FBI apprehended Dalke after he transferred classified files through a secure digital connection, and he had initially sent a thank-you letter in Russian expressing anticipation of a mutually beneficial relationship.
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Nature of Classified Information
Dalke, a former information systems security designer for the National Security Agency (NSA), aimed to provide a threat assessment of a third country’s military capabilities to the supposed Russian agent.
The indictment revealed that the information also included details on sensitive US defense capabilities, some related to the same foreign nation. The terms of the plea deal mandate Dalke’s cooperation with authorities to provide truthful insights into his actions.
Prosecutors allege that after departing the NSA and engaging in the attempted sale of classified information, Dalke reapplied for a position at the agency.
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