Ex-NSA staffer gets 21 years for trying to sell defense information to 'friends' in Russia

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: USA Today

Published 11:16 p.m. ET April 29, 2024 | Updated 11:16 p.m. ET April 29, 2024


The letter from the former National Security Agency employee, written in Cyrillic characters, is not at all what you would expect to end up in the hands of a Russian agent. “My friends!" Dalke told the purported operative, according to court documents. “I am very happy to finally provide this information to you . . . I look forward to our friendship and shared benefit."

Moments after Jareh Sebastian Dalke hit send, FBI agents arrested him. His supposed Russian handler was an undercover FBI agent and the operation was part of a sting operation that on Monday ended with Dalke getting a 21-year federal prison sentence for attempted espionage.

Dalke, 32, a former information systems security designer at the NSA, was heavily in debt with student loans and credit card debt. He said in what he thought were secret letters that he wanted $85,000 for sensitive national security information that he told his supposed contact would help Russia.

“This defendant, who had sworn an oath to defend our country, believed he was selling classified national security information to a Russian agent, when in fact, he was outing himself to the FBI,” Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said Monday. “This sentence demonstrates that that those who seek to betray our country will be held accountable for their crimes.”

Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2024/04/29/nsa-sentenced-prison-espionage-act-russia/73505746007/

[COL Mustard]

1. Good

Now how about a nice long sentence for someone a little higher up the food chain?

[tanyev]

4. "I look forward to our friendship and shared benefit."

[wolfie001]

6. Sergey knows where the bodies are buried

One mix-up and he's out the 9th floor.

[LiberalFighter]

9. This needs to be blasted during the campaign.

[PatSeg]

17. He wasn't even smart enough to be subtle

It was all so in-your-face, defying anyone to do something about it.

Then he complained about the "Russia hoax", when he pretty much told the world he was in bed with the Russians from the very beginning.

[FailureToCommunicate]

2. Rookie mistake. He should have become President before peddling secrets to Putin.

Then espionage would be the least of his worries.

Knucklehead.

[wolfie001]

5. Over tea in Helsinki

Lunch between friends

[IronLionZion]

3. The Republican Party is full of such traitors

On a related note, one of the best lines I've heard recently was a GOP congressperson about Marjorie Taylor Greene: she's not even a useful idiot. She's just an idiot.

[Traurigkeit]

25. GOP is full with worshipers of $$$$$$$$$ [they would ANYTHING for it]

[PatSeg]

7. I hope Trump saw this story

Of course, he thinks he's above such laws.

[atreides1]

8. He probably didn't

At the moment he is currently above the law.

[PatSeg]

11. Though I think he is conscious enough

to be afraid.

[Marthe48]

15. I hope traitor has a trail like that

that leads to trial

[PatSeg]

16. That's the way it should be

Traditionally, Americans loathed traitors. Trump has gotten away with so much and a lot of it right before our eyes. Anyone else would have been prosecuted and convicted much sooner.

I can't help but wonder how many classified documents did he barter or sell to our enemies? He is the most transactional man on the planet. You know he isn't going to pass up such an opportunity.

What gets me is why did he take so many? That just drew more attention to himself and made it that much harder to conceal all those boxes. He is just such a greedy man, he has to have it all, even if it puts him in serious legal jeopardy.

[Traurigkeit]

26. You assume TSF can actually read ?

[PatSeg]

27. Shoot, there aren't any pictures

[CousinIT]

10. Yet the classified document-stealing Trump still remains free.

WHO KNOWS if he's already sold them to our enemies - I suspect Erdogan has a few of them. Saudis a few more. And Russia may have some too.

[Oopsie Daisy]

12. He looks soft. I doubt he'll do well in prison.

[Rebl2]

20. Is this the

guy that got a 21 year sentence and he’s supposed to be 32 yo? Is it just my old eyes or does he look older than 32. He should be happy he only got 21 years. I think it should have been much longer.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

13. traitortrump walks free, thanks to his loose cannon and Subversive Court.

A reluctant DoJ helps traitortrump, too.

[erronis]

14. Guess he won't have to worry about his student loans and credit-card bills

for quite a long time. The interest after 21 years will be a bit of a PITA, tho.

[Captain Zero]

19. If he takes one class every semester after release

He doesn't have to start paying it back.

[Prof. Toru Tanaka]

21. I just looked up the interest rate on federal student loans.

Anywhere from 5.50% to 8.05%. I’ll be nice and give him a good rate of 6%.

Using the rule of 72, 72 divided by 6 is 12. After 12 years, interest has doubled his amount owed to $170,000.

Dalke will have to serve 85% of his sentence (as these are federal charges) before being eligible for parole. This means Dalke must serve 17 years and 10 months (minimum) of his sentence. After year 12, his interest on the now 170K is going to accrue at over 10K/year. By the time he is eligible for parole, he will owe over 200K.

I am going to be nice again and say that “mop-n-glo” Dalke gets parole on his first try. Not only did he make those prison floors shine like fuckin’ mirrors, he kept his nose clean and admitted his guilt. So he gains his freedom but oh-oh, there’s that student loan…

Poor Jareh Dalke
learned the hard way crime DOES pay
for the Fed, not him.

[Bengus81]

18. Trump loses yet another voter..........n/t

[Deep State Witch]

22. Paying Off Student Loans

Still think it's a bad idea?

[Kid Berwyn]

23. I know a guy with a Top Secret stash who has a gooood friend in Russia.

Small world. And very, very bad.

[republianmushroom]

24. 21 years not long enough. IMO

[paleotn]

31. Not nearly long enough for selling out one's country.

[Pas-de-Calais]

28. Traitor

[canuckledragger]

29. And yet the traitor Agent Orange still walks free.

It's amazing how fast the justice system works when you're not a corrupt 'billionaire' that actually did sell secrets to the Russians and tried to overthrow the government.

[Torchlight]

30. 'Biggest group in prison are idiots who think they're intelligent"

Paraphrase from a wise old grandad.