Update: On Friday, February 23rd Johnathan Toebbe’s wife Dianna plead guilty to acting as the lookout while her husband left memory cards hidden in items such as a peanut butter sandwich and a packet of gum at three “dead drop” locations. The offenses took place over several months in 2021, the Department of Justice said.
Spy case busted by FBI
Toebbe attempted to reach out to an unknown foreign government, which has not been named in court documents. He first attempted to contact them in April 2020. The FBI has not disclosed how it obtained the package.
The US Naval engineer sent a package containing top-secret Navy documents. And instructions on how to use “encrypted communications.’’ Toebbe communicated his desire to start a “covert relationship,” according to the criminal complaint.
The spy case got more complicated when the FBI responded.
“I believe this information will be of great value to your nation,” he wrote, according to the complaint. “This is not a hoax.”
For months Toebbe believed he was in contact with a foreign government.
