Lawyers Deny Annapolis Spy Suspect Discussed Fleeing To Evade Arrest

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawyers for a Maryland pistillate charged on with her hubby successful a strategy to merchantability Navy submarine secrets to a overseas authorities denied Wednesday that she had contemplated fleeing the United States to debar arrest. Instead, they said, contempt for then-President Donald Trump was down the couple’s emigration plans.

Prosecutors astatine an October proceeding had cited messages exchanged by the mates — including 1 successful which Diana Toebbe wrote, “I cannot judge that the 2 of america wouldn’t beryllium welcomed and rewarded by a overseas govt” — successful arguing that the Toebbes had been discussing escaping the U.S. anterior to their apprehension and were truthful a formation hazard if released from custody now.

But Toebbe’s defence lawyers accidental further messages produced by prosecutors since past marque wide that she and her hubby were looking to permission the state simply due to the fact that they were dismayed by Trump.

“Obviously, the further messages overgarment an wholly antithetic representation arsenic to wherefore Mrs. Toebbe wanted to permission the country,” wrote Barry Beck, 1 of her lawyers. “Rather than scheming to flight seizure and prosecution for crimes, Mrs. Toebbe was intelligibly motivated to permission the state for governmental reasons.”

The Toebbes, of Annapolis, Maryland, person been successful jailhouse since their October apprehension connected espionage-related charges.

Jonathan Toebbe, a Navy engineer, is accused of passing connected plan accusation astir blase Virginia-class submarines to idiosyncratic helium thought was a typical of a overseas authorities but who was really an undercover FBI agent. Diana Toebbe is accused of serving arsenic a lookout during respective of the “dead-drop” exchanges astatine which delicate accusation was deposited. The individuality of the state has not been disclosed.

A justice agreed that the mates was a formation hazard based successful portion connected the messages, and ordered them jailed portion the lawsuit moved forward. But defence lawyers asked Wednesday to reopen the detention hearing, citing further messages recovered from Jonathan Toebbe’s telephone astatine the clip of his arrest.

The March 7, 2019, messages included successful the defence question amusement Diana Toebbe venting “that the full strategy is rigged” and telling her husband, “We request to get out.”

After Jonathan Toebbe tries to reassure her that peculiar counsel Robert Mueller’s study into Russian predetermination interference is owed to beryllium released soon, and that Trump run president Paul Manafort is facing situation time, his woman responds, “It’s been excessively long. Nothing has changed. He’s inactive successful power.” She adds, “Manafort got a slap connected the wrist. It’s a awesome that the full strategy is rigged.”

Elsewhere successful the conversation, Diana Toebbe, who astatine the clip of her apprehension was teaching astatine a backstage schoolhouse successful Maryland, muses that she was consenting to question anywhere, including “to thatch successful planetary schools” oregon “to instrumentality (French President Emmanuel) Macron up connected his connection to harbor technological refugees.”

The defence question besides notes that the messages were exchanged much than a twelvemonth earlier Jonathan Toebbe is alleged to person archetypal made interaction with the unidentified overseas country, which successful crook alerted the FBI.

“Thus, to the grade the messages that were introduced astatine her archetypal detention proceeding suggested that she was engaged successful amerciable activity, the recently disclosed messages dispel that accusation entirely,” Beck wrote, adding that the crushed for her wanting to permission the state nary longer exists since Trump mislaid his reelection bid.

Prosecutors person until aboriginal this period to respond to the defence motion.

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