A former National Security Agency employee from Colorado pleaded guilty Monday to trying to sell classified information to Russia.
Federal prosecutors agreed to not ask for more than about 22 years in prison for Jareh Sebastian Dalke when he is sentenced in April, but the judge will ultimately decide the punishment.
Dalke, a 31-year-old Army veteran from Colorado Springs, had faced a possible life sentence for giving the information to an undercover FBI agent who prosecutors say Dalke believed was a Russian agent.
Dalke was arrested on Sept. 28, 2022, after authorities say he arrived at Denver’s downtown train station with a laptop and used a secure connection set up by investigators to transfer some classified documents.
According to the indictment, the information Dalke sought to give Russia included a threat assessment of the military offensive capabilities of a third, unnamed country. It also includes a description of sensitive U.S. defense capabilities, some of which relates to that same foreign country. He allegedly told the undercover agent that he had $237,000 in debts and that he decided to work with Russia because his heritage “ties back to your country.”
Smart enough to get a job at the NSA, dumb enough to get $200k+ in debt, then think he could sell classified documents to the Russians.
You do not actually have to be all that smart to get a gig at the NSA.
The TLAs very much underpay relative to industry. So the vast majority of the technical staff are either dumbass True Believers or are there because they can’t get a better job. Of the latter, the smart ones leave after a few years once they qualify for positions elsewhere.
So if you are even slightly intelligent, you are set. And otherwise? Just talk about how much you love America and you’ll get hired.
Absolutely. And this problem applies to many government agencies/careers. It also allows these exact problems to happen more than they should. From police seizing assets to federal politicians selling out for fairly small sums. The underpaid jobs attract a certain type of person, and some are willing to turn to malicious acts to get a financial bump up.
Better pay for public roles would prevent a lot of these issues. It’s normal for a wage gap between private and public positions, but it’s usually not as bad as it is now. Teacher pay is a another great example of a completely stalled system that is now having countless issues because of it. I’d also argue that many federal politicians would be more willing to separate from their corporate donors if they were paid somewhat closer to an executive compensation.
You should 100% run for a position in your local government; you make too much sense.
Doesn’t pay enough!
Just kidding. I appreciate the supportive feedback. Perhaps someday.