In a shocking revelation, Jareh Sebastian Dalke, a former employee of the National Security Agency (NSA), pleaded guilty to six counts of attempting to transmit classified National Defense Information to an agent of the Russian Federation. The 31-year-old resident of Colorado Springs admitted to using an encrypted email account to share excerpts from three classified documents with an individual he believed to be a Russian agent. However, unbeknownst to Dalke, the recipient was actually an FBI online covert employee.

According to court documents, Dalke, who worked as an Information Systems Security Designer at the NSA, engaged in this illicit behavior between August and September of 2022. The documents, classified as Top Secret//Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI), contained valuable NDI and were obtained by Dalke during his employment with the NSA.

The gravity of the situation escalated when Dalke demanded $85,000 in exchange for the information he possessed. Claiming that the information would be of value to Russia, he even promised to share more classified files once he returned to the Washington, D.C. area. Subsequently, Dalke arranged a meeting at Union Station in downtown Denver to transfer additional classified information to the supposed Russian agent.

On September 28, just moments after Dalke transmitted the files, the FBI arrested him. As part of his plea agreement, Dalke acknowledged that he willingly transmitted these files with the intent to harm the United States and benefit Russia.

The consequences for Dalke's actions are severe, as he now faces the possibility of a life sentence. Sentencing is scheduled for April 26, 2024, where a U.S. district court judge will determine his fate, taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The announcement of Dalke's guilty plea was made by Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department's National Security Division, U.S. Attorney Cole Finegan for the District of Colorado, and Executive Assistant Director Larissa L. Knapp of the FBI's National Security Branch.

The investigation into this case is being led by the FBI Washington and Denver Field Offices. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Julia K. Martinez and Jena R. Neuscheler, along with Trial Attorneys Christina A. Clark and Adam L. Small from the National Security Division's Counterintelligence and Export Control Section, are prosecuting the case.

This alarming incident serves as a reminder of the importance of safeguarding national security information and the vigilance required to protect it. The U.S. government continues to prioritize the detection and prevention of espionage activities that threaten the country's interests.

In unrelated news, on October 17, the United States seized 17 website domains used by North Korean IT workers, following a court order issued in the Eastern District of Missouri. The Departments of Justice, Commerce, State, and Treasury have jointly issued an advisory to warn the international community, private sector, and the public about Iran's ballistic missile procurement, underscoring the imminent threat it poses.

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