Former NSA employee Jareh Sebastian Dalke was sentenced to nearly 22 years in prison for attempting to sell classified information to Russia. Dalke, a 32-year-old Army veteran from Colorado, had briefly worked at the NSA and was reapplying to the agency when he tried to sell classified information to a person he believed worked for the Russian government, who was actually an FBI agent. Attorney General Merrick Garland stated that Dalke, who had sworn an oath to defend the country, believed he was selling classified information to a Russian agent, but he was actually outing himself to the FBI. The sentencing serves as a warning to those who seek to betray the country.
In 2022, Dalke exchanged emails with an FBI agent posing as a Russian agent, expressing his motivation to share information out of curiosity for secrets and a desire to cause change. He claimed to be in debt and told the agent that sharing information would help balance the scales of the world while meeting his own needs. Dalke sent the agent excerpts of documents he possessed as a demonstration of his access and willingness to share and offered to sell all the information for $85,000. The documents included information on US defense capabilities, a threat assessment of a separate unnamed country, and a US cryptographic program.
The FBI instructed Dalke to make the final exchange at a train station in Denver in September 2023, where he was to send the documents over a secure connection. Prior to the exchange, Dalke left his phone at home and disabled location-enabled systems in his car. He parked by the station, walked inside, and transferred five documents through a secure connection on his laptop. Moments later, he was arrested by the FBI. Prosecutors presented evidence of Dalke’s actions and intentions in court, emphasizing the severity of his betrayal and the potential harm caused by selling classified information to a foreign entity.
The sentencing of Dalke to nearly 22 years in prison underscores the consequences of attempting to betray the country by selling classified information to a foreign government. Attorney General Merrick Garland reiterated that those who seek to betray the country will be held accountable for their crimes. The case serves as a reminder of the importance of maintaining the security and integrity of classified information and the measures in place to thwart attempts to compromise national security. Dalke’s actions underscore the ongoing threat posed by individuals seeking to exploit vulnerabilities within government agencies for personal gain.
Dalke’s attempt to sell classified information to Russia highlights the continued efforts of foreign governments to obtain sensitive information through espionage and covert means. The FBI’s successful operation to apprehend Dalke before any actual damage was done demonstrates the efficacy of counterintelligence measures in preventing national security threats. The case also underscores the need for constant vigilance and cooperation among agencies to identify and neutralize potential threats to the country’s security. The sentencing of Dalke serves as a warning to others considering similar actions that betraying the country has severe consequences and will not go unpunished.
