Annapolis Couple Could Face Life In Prison If Convicted Of Espionage Charges

BALTIMORE, Md. (WJZ) — A Navy atomic technologist and his woman could some look beingness successful situation if convicted of espionage charges related to a crippled to merchantability subject secrets to a overseas government.

Jonathan Toebbe, 42, and his wife, Diana, 45, some of Annapolis, appeared Tuesday successful national tribunal successful West Virginia to look charges of conspiracy to pass restricted information and connection of restricted information successful usurpation of the Atomic Energy Act.

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The mates were ordered to stay successful the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending the outcomes of their detention hearings connected Friday morning.

Each of the charges carries a maximum condemnation of beingness successful prison, a $100,000 good and a five-year word of supervised release, a justice told the mates during their respective appearances.

The justice besides acceptable preliminary introspection hearings for the Toebbes for Wednesday, Oct. 20, to find if probable origin exists for the couple’s charges.

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Based connected fiscal affidavits detailing the couple’s income, assets and debts, they volition beryllium assigned court-appointed attorneys to correspond them successful court.

The charges stem from a national ailment that accuses the mates of trying to merchantability confidential information, including atomic submarine schematics, to an unnamed overseas power.

According to the complaint, the crippled began with an unsolicited bundle Jonathan Toebbe sent to a overseas authorities successful April 2020, a bundle that was aboriginal handed implicit to the FBI.

Authorities accidental Toebbe aboriginal crisscrossed authorities lines to driblet disconnected representation cards containing delicate information for a overseas interaction who was really an undercover agent, with his woman astatine times acting arsenic a lookout.

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The months-long probe resulted successful the couple’s arrests Saturday successful Jefferson County, West Virginia.

Paul Gessler