According to Russia Today (RT), a woman in Maryland was accused of selling secrets of U.S. nuclear submarines to foreign powers. The woman's lawyer said she wanted to flee the country because she despised former President Trump, not because she feared arrest.
Virginia-class nuclear submarines of the United States
Diana Toebbe and her husband, Jonathan, were arrested in October and face espionage charges. Local prosecutors opposed their bail, citing a text message from Diana saying the couple would be "welcomed and rewarded by a foreign (government)." ”
At a hearing held on Wednesday (8th), her lawyer provided more information, arguing that her motive for fleeing was contempt for the former Republican president (referring to Trump) rather than fear of being caught. Barry Beck, a lawyer, wrote in a court document: "Diana did not attempt to evade arrest and prosecution for crimes, but clearly wanted to leave the country for political reasons. ”
The defense motion cites a message Diana gave Jonathan in March 2019 saying "we need to leave" and that "the whole system is rigged," referring to allegations against Paul Manafort, a former Trump campaign manager. When Jonathan responded that the report of Robert Mueller, the special counsel for Trump's "Russiagate" investigation, was about to expire, Diana replied: "It's been too long, nothing has changed, and he's still in power." ”
The couple was arrested at a location in West Virginia, where undercover agents disguised themselves as buyers to let them meet. Jonathan, a U.S. naval engineer, is accused of trying to sell information about Virginia-class nuclear submarines to foreign governments. Diana was accused of acting as the bearer of the deal.
The indictment alleges that Diana was suspected of hiding an SD card containing classified nuclear reactor information inside a peanut butter sandwich, and later provided the card's decryption key in exchange for a total of $30,000 worth of cryptocurrency. (Editor: SDY)