A former employee of the US National Security Agency (NSA), 32-year-old Jarech Sebastian Dahlke of Colorado Springs, was sentenced to almost 22 years in prison for trying to transfer classified documents to Russia.
Dahlke, who worked as an information security systems designer at the NSA from June 6 to July 1, 2022, used his access to classified information to contact a person he believed to be a Russian agent. It was actually an undercover FBI agent. In exchange for $85,000, Dalke promised to hand over all the files he had, claiming they would be useful to Russia. He was arrested on September 28, 2022, after handing over five files to an alleged Russian spy.
Traitor used an encrypted email account to send excerpts of three classified National Defense Documents (NDIs) that he obtained in the course of his work. He pleaded guilty in October 2023, as part of a plea deal, admitting that he intentionally passed on the files with the intent to harm the United States and benefit Russia.
Dahlke’s sentence reflects the determination of the United States to punish the betrayal of national security and serves as a warning to all those who have access to protected information of the serious consequences of a breach of trust.