Brazil Identified As Foreign Government Involved In Annapolis Couple's Espionage Case

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- The foreign government an Annapolis couple approached with military secrets has been identified as Brazil, according to a report from The New York Times.

Jonathan Toebbe, a Navy nuclear engineer from, pleaded guilty last month to one count of conspiracy as part of a plea agreement that calls for him serve at least 12 and a half months in prison. Since his sentence is up to a judge, he could serve life.

Toebbe's wife, Diana, is expected to spend no more than three years in prison after pleading guilty to a conspiracy count days after her husband entered his plea.

The couple is accused of hatching a plot to sell classified data, which authorities say Toebbe stole from his workplace for the U.S. Navy's nuclear program, to a foreign government in exchange for cryptocurrency.

Citing a senior Brazilian official, among other sources, the Times reported that Toebbe reached out to Brazil nearly two years ago about providing its government with "thousands of pages of classified documents" he had stolen from the Navy.

"The plan backfired almost as soon as it began. After Mr. Toebbe sent a letter offering the secrets to Brazil's military intelligence agency in April 2020, Brazilian officials handed the letter over" to an FBI contact, the Times reported.

The couple was arrested Oct. 9 in West Virginia, where they've remained in custody while awaiting court proceedings. Both were indicted on one count of conspiracy to communicate restricted data and two counts of communication of restricted data.

Authorities say Diana Toebbe acted as a lookout for her husband when the couple repeatedly crossed state lines to drop off sensitive submarine data for someone they thought was a foreign agent but was in reality an FBI agent.

The Toebbes remain in custody while awaiting sentencing.