That couple who sold US nuclear sub plans for Monero have pleaded guilty

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—by Protos Staff
The Toebbes initially pleaded not guilty to conspiracy charges over selling nuclear submarine plans for Monero to an undercover FBI agent.

The wife of a US Navy nuclear engineer will serve up to three years in federal prison for selling submarine secrets for Monero cryptocurrency, reports RT.

Dianna Toebbe, a former humanities teacher, initially pleaded not guilty, along with her husband Jonathan. A plea deal will now see her not serve more than 36 months. 

Jonathan, on the other hand, could see prison for up to 17 years.

The pair illegally sold protected information for $100,000 worth of Monero to an undercover FBI agent, namely designs for a nuclear-powered warship. They were detained on October 9 last year on conspiracy charges.

According to reports, the Toebbes hid the state secrets in memory cards placed between pieces of gum and squished inside peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches.

The info-loaded snacks were then distributed across the US. According to the US Department of Justice, Dianna “served as a lookout while her husband serviced three ‘dead-drops.’” 

Before the arrest, Jonathan held national security clearance and worked on the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program.

Washington Post journalist Devlin Barrett shared word of Jonathan’s guilty plea last week. Now, Dianna has done the same.

Read more: [Husband and wife use peanut butter sandwich to trade nuclear secrets for crypto]

“Jonathan Toebbe began corresponding via encrypted email with an individual whom he believed to be a representative of the foreign government. The individual was really an undercover FBI agent,” said the DoJ.

The Toebbes were nicked after they received $70,000 of the agreed $100,000 Monero payout for the nuclear sub plans. Sentencing dates aren’t yet public.

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