WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th August, 2022) A US Federal judge for the Northern District of West Virginia denied the plea deals of a couple who in February pleaded guilty to trying to sell secret information about US submarines to a foreign government, the New York Times reported.
Judge Gina Groh on Tuesday rejected the plea agreements of Jonathan and Diana Toebbe, who were charged with espionage for allegedly attempting to sell military submarine secrets obtained through Jonathan's job as a US Navy nuclear engineer to what the couple believed was a foreign government, the report said on Tuesday.
The FBI arrested and charged the couple in last October as part of a sting operation.
Jonathan Toebbe's agreement stipulated a 12-year prison sentence, while Diana's agreement included a three-year sentence that could have seen her freed after just two years served, the report said.
Groh said she would consider a deal within the standard sentencing guidelines that would see the couple face more than 15 years in prison, the report said.
Such a long sentence could lead Dianna to seek acquittal by a jury at trial, the report said.
Groh noted that low-level drug dealers go to prison for longer than the three years stipulated in Dianna's plea agreement, the report said.
The couple's pleas were withdrawn as a result of the court's rejection of the agreements, prompting Groh to schedule a trial date for January 2023. Lawyers have until then to reach new plea deals acceptable to Groh, the report added.
The couple's actions have compromised the integrity of sensitive information and undercut the military advantage afforded by decades of research, Groh said during a statement on her decision.
