DENVER, CO — A Colorado Springs man has pleaded guilty to attempting to give classified national secrets to agents of a foreign nation according to the United States Department of Justice.
In a new release Monday, the Department of Justice said that 31-year-old Jareh Sebastian Dalke pleaded guilty in federal court Monday to six counts of attempting to transmit classified National Defense Information (NDI) to an agent of the Russian Federation.
According to the Department of Justice, Dalke a former Information Systems Security Designer with the National Security Administration (NSA) used an encrypted email to send excerpts of classified documents to someone he believed to be a Russian Agent between August and September of 2022.
The delivery of these excerpts was Dalke's, demonstration of his "legitimate access and willingness to share," classified information obtained during his employment with the NSA. The Russian Agent that Dalke believed he was in communication with was actually an online undercover FBI employee.
The Department of Justice says that on or near August 26, 2022, Dalke requested $85,000 in return for all information in his possession that would be of value to Russia and that he would share more information in the future.
Dalke arranged to transfer the sensitive files on September 28, 2022, to the Russian Agent at Union Station in downtown Denver. The Department of Justice says that Dalke transferred five files, four they say included Top Secret NDI. The fifth file was reportedly a letter in Russian stating, "My friends! I am very happy to finally provide this information to you. . . . I look forward to our friendship and shared benefit. Please let me know if there are desired documents to find and I will try when I return to my main office,".
The FBI arrested Dalke moments after he transmitted the files. In his plea agreements, Dalke admitted he willingly transmitted the files knowing that they would potentially be used to injure the United States of America. Dalke faces a maximum penalty of life in prison and is scheduled to be sentenced on April 26, 2024, in front of the United States district court judge.
Click here to see Dalke's plea agreement.
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