Former NSA Employee Arrested on Espionage-Related Charges

A former National Security Agency (NSA) employee was arrested on espionage-related charges for allegedly trying to sell U.S. secrets, the Justice Department announced. 

The Colorado Springs man made his initial appearance in federal court yesterday on charges that he attempted to transmit classified National Defense information (NDI) to a representative of a foreign government. 

Jared Dalke, 30, faces charges related to three violations of the Espionage Act. 

Dalke worked for the NSA for less than a month as an information system security designer. He used an encrypted email to send excerpts of three classified documents to someone he believed was a representative of a foreign government, according to the affidavit. 

That person was actually an undercover FBI agent. 

The excerpts related to threat assessments of a foreign government’s military offensive capabilities and “sensitive U.S. defense capabilities,” as well as a U.S. agency’s “plans to update a certain cryptographic program,” the affidavit said.

According to the affidavit, Dalke was employed by the NSA from June 6 to July 1 of this year, so for a little short of a month. After he quit, between August and September, he used the encrypted email account to transmit excerpts to the individual. 

These excerpts were provided by Dalke to the individual as a “small sample of what is possible,” and soon after transmitted a secret document related to a different US agency that contained information about a foreign leader, as a “show of good faith,” the affidavit said.

Days later, he applied to an open position at the NSA, which is what led law enforcement to believe he was seeking more defense information. 

Dalke then arranged to transfer additional classified information in his possession to the undercover FBI agent at a location in Denver, Colorado. When Dalke arrived at the specified location this week, he was arrested by the FBI.

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