DENVER (AP) — A former National Security Agency employee who sold classified information to an undercover FBI agent he believed to be a Russian official was sentenced Monday to nearly 22 years in prison, the penalty requested by government prosecutors.
U.S. District Judge Raymond Moore said he could have put Jareh Sebastian Dalke, 32, behind bars for even longer, calling the 262-month sentence “mercy” for what he saw as a calculated action to take the job at the NSA in order to be able to sell national security secrets.
“This was blatant. It was brazen and, in my mind, it was deliberate. It was a betrayal, and it was as close to treasonous as you can get,” Moore said.
Dalke’s attorneys had asked for the Army veteran, who pleaded guilty to espionage charges last fall in a deal with prosecutors, to be sentenced to 14 years in prison, in part because the information he sold in 2022 did not end up in enemy hands and cause damage.
Thousands protest in Niger demanding withdrawal of U.S. troops
The engineer designing needles to euthanise whales
Greek vessel hit by missile in Red Sea attack
TikTok users losing access to Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish songs
China has favorable conditions for overall price stability
Trump seeks Supreme Court pause in 2020 election case
Singapore minister Iswaran charged in rare corruption case
Nelson urgently needs revitalisation as economic performance slumps
Romanian artists share China travel experiences
Doggy ballgowns, surveillance tech and cloning services for sale at China pet fair