How an unnamed foreign country helped FBI arrest couple offering US secrets

Accomplished US Navy nuclear engineer Jonathan Toebbe and his wife Diana, who has a PhD in anthropology, were taken to a West Virginia court on Tuesday after the FBI arrested them on charges of trying to sell nuclear submarine propulsion technology to an unnamed friendly foreign country

Jonathan and Diana were arrested by the FBI on Saturday after a year-long sting operation when they went for an information 'dead drop' on nuclear propulsion systems they had offered to a foreign power several months before.

The unnamed foreign power had reported the offer to US government via the local FBI liaison, enabling the bureau to launch an undercover operation.


On April 1 2020, Jonathan sent a package to a foreign government containing a sample of restricted data relating to nuclear submarine propulsion systems, and instructions for establishing a covert relationship to purchase additional restricted data, according to the FBI complaint affidavit.

The affidavit alleged that Toebbe also began corresponding via encrypted email with an individual whom he believed to be a representative of the foreign government, when the individual was in reality an undercover FBI agent.

The FBI affidavit states that on June 8 2021, the undercover agent sent $10,000 in cryptocurrency to Toebbe as 'good faith' payment.

On June 26, the husband and wife travelled from Annapolis, where they lived, to a location in West Virginia, where with Diana acting as a lookout, Jonathan placed an SD card concealed within half a peanut butter sandwich at a pre-arranged 'dead drop' location.

A review of the SD card after additional cryptocurrency payments to secure a de-encryption key revealed that it contained restricted data related to submarine nuclear reactors, the FBI said. Similar exchanges took place on August 28 and on October 9 before the couple was arrested.

What has perplexed many is that the couple appeared to have led an innocuous suburban life with their two children, were well regarded by their friends and neighbors, and had steady well-paying jobs.

The 'unnamed foreign country' that alerted the FBI was described in some reports as more of a partner than an ally, which would put India on the shortlist.

Officials from both sides declined to comment on the case.

(With inputs from TOI)