Jareh Sebastian Dalke, a former employee of the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA), has been sentenced to nearly 22 years in prison for attempting to sell classified documents to Russia. During his brief tenure as an Information Systems Security Designer at the NSA from June to July 2022, Dalke accessed sensitive National Defense Information (NDI). Shortly after his employment ended, he made contact with someone he believed to be a Russian agent to offer them top-secret information. However, the individual he contacted was actually an undercover FBI agent.
Dalke’s espionage activities involved sending snippets of three top-secret documents via an encrypted email to demonstrate his access and willingness to share more for a price. He demanded $85,000 in exchange for additional files in his possession, asserting that the information would be valuable to Russia. His communications with the undercover agent were closely monitored by the FBI, which led to his capture and arrest.
He was arrested on September 28, 2022, after he transferred five classified files to the supposed Russian spy at Union Station in downtown Denver using a laptop. Following his arrest, Dalke entered a guilty plea in October 2023, acknowledging his actions were intended to injure the United States and benefit Russia. This admission was part of his plea agreement which detailed his motives and the extent of his betrayal.
The sentencing of Jareh Sebastian Dalke highlights the severity with which the U.S. government treats breaches of national security, especially those involving attempts to transfer sensitive information to foreign adversaries. FBI Director Christopher Wray emphasized that this sentence should serve as a stark warning to anyone entrusted with national defense information about the consequences of betraying that trust. The case underlines the ongoing risks of insider threats and the importance of vigilant security practices within national security agencies.
