U.S. Government Contractor Arrested on Espionage Charges

(DOJ) IT Help Desk Technician Charged with Transferring Classified Materials to a Foreign Government A U.S. government contractor was arrested on Aug. 24 based on espionage charges in a complaint unsealed today. Abraham Teklu Lemma, 50, a naturalized U.S. citizen of Ethiopian descent, of Silver Spring, Maryland, is charged with delivering national defense information to […]

The Perfect Spy Was a Cuban Agent

Ana Belen Montes, the most effective and damaging Cuban spy known to have penetrated U.S. intelligence, was a major warrior in the long nasty war between the United States and its communist neighbor. On Jan. 6, after serving just over 21 years of a 25 year sentence for espionage, she was released from a maximum […]

Maryland Nuclear Engineer and Wife Sentenced for Espionage-Related Offenses

(DOJ) A Maryland man and his wife were sentenced today for conspiracy to communicate Restricted Data related to the design of nuclear-powered warships. Jonathan Toebbe, 44, of Annapolis, was sentenced today to 232 months, over 19 years, of incarceration. His wife, Diana Toebbe, 46, was sentenced to 262 months, more than 21 years, of incarceration. The […]

Former NSA Employee Arrested on Espionage-Related Charges

This case started and got wrapped up fast and his employment at NSA was only one month? (DOJ) A Colorado Springs man will make his initial appearance in federal court today on charges that he attempted to transmit classified National Defense Information (NDI) to a representative of a foreign government. Jareh Sebastian Dalke, 30, was […]

Wife of Maryland Nuclear Engineer Pleads Guilty to Espionage-Related Offense

(DOJ) A Maryland woman pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to communicate Restricted Data related to the design of nuclear-powered warships. Her husband pleaded guilty to the same offense on Monday, Feb. 14. Diana Toebbe, 46, of Annapolis, was arrested on Oct. 9, 2021, for knowingly and voluntarily joining a conspiracy with her husband, Jonathan Toebbe, […]

Maryland Nuclear Engineer Pleads Guilty to Espionage-Related Offense

(DOJ) A Maryland man pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to communicate restricted data related to the design of nuclear-powered warships to a person he believed was a representative of a foreign nation. Jonathan Toebbe, 43, of Annapolis, was arrested on Oct. 9, 2021, after he placed an SD card at a pre-arranged “dead drop” at […]

Former Defense Contractor Arrested for Attempted Espionage

(DOJ) A South Dakota man was arrested last night in Lead, South Dakota, on criminal charges related to his alleged espionage attempts. According to court documents, John Murray Rowe Jr., 63, of Lead, attempted to provide classified national defense information to the Russian government. According to the complaint, Rowe, who is originally from Massachusetts, was employed […]

Maryland Nuclear Engineer and Spouse Arrested on Espionage-Related Charges

(DOJ) Jonathan and Diana Toebbe, both of Annapolis, Maryland, were arrested in Jefferson County, West Virginia, by the FBI and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) on Saturday, Oct. 9. They will have their initial appearances on Tuesday, Oct. 12, in federal court in Martinsburg, West Virginia. For almost a year, Jonathan Toebbe, 42, aided by […]

Former Army Green Beret Sentenced for Russian Espionage Conspiracy

(DOJ) A Virginia man and former Army Green Beret was sentenced today to 188 months in prison for conspiring with Russian intelligence operatives to provide them with U.S. national defense information. Peter Rafael Dzibinski Debbins, 46, of Gainesville, admitted to conspiring with agents of a Russian intelligence service. According to court documents, from December 1996 to […]

Defense Department Linguist Pleads Guilty to Transmitting Highly Sensitive Classified National Defense Information to Aid Hezbollah

(DOJ) A Minnesota woman pleaded guilty today to one count of delivering national defense information to aid a foreign government. According to court documents, Mariam Taha Thompson, 63, formerly of Rochester, Minnesota, worked as a contract linguist at an overseas U.S. military facility where she was entrusted with a top secret government security clearance. Thompson pleaded […]

Former Army Special Forces Officer Charged in Russian Espionage Conspiracy

(DOJ) A Gainesville, Virginia, man was arrested today for conspiring with Russian intelligence operatives to provide them with United States national defense information. According to court documents, from December 1996 to January 2011, Peter Rafael Dzibinski Debbins, 45, a former member of the U.S. Army, allegedly conspired with agents of a Russian intelligence service. During that […]

New Book on Nicholson Spy Case

Harold Jim Nicholson

Jim Nicholson was a GS-15 CIA operations officer when he volunteered to spy for the Russian SVR intelligence service (shortly after another CIA officer, Rick Ames, was arrested in 1994). One of Nicholson’s job was training new CIA operations officers, and gave their names to the Russians. He was arrested in 1996. Later, while in jail, […]