Colorado Springs Man Accused of Trying to Sell Top Secret National Defense Info

A resident of Colorado Springs may become a resident of prison after being accused of espionage.

According to a press release from the Colorado Department of Justice, Jareh Sebastian Dalke, 30, is accused of attempting to sell classified information about the U.S. to a foreign power.

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Espionage, What is It?

If you're a fan of spy movies or politics, then you probably already know what espionage means. However, there are some who are unaware of the term so we'll let you know the exact definition.

Merriam-Webster defines espionage as,

the practice of spying or using spies to obtain information about the plans and activities especially of a foreign government or a competing company.

Basically, it's exactly what Jareh Sebastian Dalke is accused of doing recently.

Who Is Jareh Sebastian Dalke?

Dalke is a Colorado resident and former employee of the National Security Agency (NSA) of the United States. The NSA is a national-level intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defense. The NSA specializes in cryptology and signals intelligence to, "defend our country, save lives, and advance U.S. goals and alliances globally."

Dalke was employed by the NSA for a little over a year as an Information Systems Security Designer, with his employment ending July 1, 2022.

The Department of Justice alleges that on or about July 29, 2022, Dalke began communicating with who he believed to be a foreign power in an effort to exchange information for money.

How Dalke Got Accused of Espionage

In reality, Dalke was not communicating with a foreign power but was in fact in communication with local power, an undercover FBI agent.

Dalke requested cryptocurrency in exchange for an excerpt classified at the Secret level, and two excerpts that were classified at the Top Secret level. Around August 26, 2022, Dalke requested $85,000 to deliver more classified information and he even reapplied to the NSA that same month.

On September 28, 2022, Dalke was arrested by the FBI at the meet-up location in Denver, Colorado that had been previously agreed to. Dalke is now facing three violations of the Espionage Act, which carries a potential sentence of death or any term of years up to life.