NSA Employee Pleads Guilty for Trying to Sell Russia Classified Information

(UnitedVoice.com) – Federal agents arrested Jareh Sebastian Dalke on September 28, 2022, on espionage-related charges. Federal prosecutors for the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado accused the 30-year-old National Security Agency (NSA) employee of attempting to share highly classified National Defense Information (NDI) with a representative of a foreign government. A recent report indicated he entered a guilty plea related to his effort to sell classified information to Russia.

On October 23, the Justice Department’s Office of Public Affairs issued a press release announcing that Dalke, now 31, pleaded guilty to six counts of attempting to share NDI with a representative of the Russian Federation. Charging documents in his case indicated he worked for the NSA as an Information Systems Security Designer for 26 days, ending on July 1, 2022.

In August and September of 2022, Dalke subsequently used an email account to send encrypted excerpts from the documents containing classified NDI information he obtained during his employment at the NSA to a person he thought worked as a Russian agent. However, unbeknownst to him, that individual was an undercover agent working for the FBI.

An affidavit in support of the criminal complaint alleged Dalke told the undercover agent that he had taken highly classified documents during his tenure with the NSA. He said they related to United States cyber operations, “foreign targeting of US systems,” and other security-related topics.

Dalke arranged to meet the undercover FBI agent in Denver, Colorado, to hand over the documents in exchange for payment “via a specific [kind] of cryptocurrency.” He said he was suffering a financial setback and needed money. Federal agents arrested him shortly after his arrival for the transfer on September 28, 2022.

As part of his plea deal, Dalke admitted that he “willfully” sent classified information to the undercover agent with the intent and reasonable belief the documents “would be used to [harm] the United States and … benefit Russia.” He faces up to life in prison, fines, and other assessments. His sentencing hearing is scheduled to take place on April 26, 2024.