The federal judge said the case sounded like the plot of a crime novel or a spy movie, before sentencing the US Navy engineer and his wife to roughly 20 years for putting the country at risk. A US district federal judge handed down long prison sentences on Wednesday to a US Navy engineer and his wife for their scheme to sell confidential information about US nuclear submarines to representatives of a foreign government. Judge Gina Groh called the couple a "great danger" to US national security. What happened in court? Based in Annapolis, Maryland, the couple was first charged and arrested for the crime in October of 2021. Jonathan Toebbe, 44 tried to sell details about the design and performance of nuclear submarines to someone he believed was a foreign government agent for $100,000 (€99,761.5) in cryptocurrency. His wife, Diana, acted as a lookout during the several "dead drops" of information to what turned out to be an undercover FBI agent. "This is an exceptional story, right out of the movies," Groh said, sentencing Jonathan Toebbe to over 19 years in prison and his wife to nearly 22 years behind bars. "(Their) actions and greedy self-serving intentions placed military service members at sea and every citizen of this country in a vulnerable position and at risk of harm from adversaries," the judge said in court. Groh had earlier rejected their plea for reduced punishments. The defendants described the couple's struggles with mental health and alcohol, adding that they were anxious about the political climate of the country and believed US democracy was in danger. This belief overwhelmed Jonathan Toebbe and pushed him to take "precipitous action" to save his children from harm. Groh enhanced the couple's punishment, exceeding the previously agreed range of up to 17 years for the engineer and a mere 3 years for his wife. The judge noted that earlier sentencing range was "strikingly deficient" considering the seriousness of the case. 'Like a crime novel' Documents from the court revealed that Diana, a teacher at a private school in Maryland, acted as a lookout during drops where they would conceal memory cards full of information into objects like chewing gum wrappers and peanut butter sandwiches. They were arrested during one such drop in Jefferson County, West Virginia in 2021. The documents on the Virginia-class submarines did not fall under the "top secret" or "secret" category, but were rather in the "confidential" bracket. In one message to the undercover FBI agent, Jonathan Toebbe said he had been considering these actions for several years and was happy to work with a "reliable professional partner." He also wrote that he had divided the information into 51 packages which he would sell for $100,000 (€99,700). In a hearing last December, prosecutors argued that the couple was looking to flee the country due to their contempt for then US President Donald Trump. On searching the couple's home, federal agents found a trash bag of shredded documents, thousands of dollars in cash, passports and a "go-bag" with a USB flashdrive and latex gloves.  During the five-hour combined hearing on Wednesday, Diana Toebbe admitted that she tried to send two letters to her husband while in jail. The letters were intercepted and read out in court. In it, she directed he husband to lie about her involvement in the plot and say she "didn't know anything about any of this." She also directed him to flush the letter after reading it. Judge Groh noted that Diana Toebbe lacked genuine remorse about her actions. Brice Miller, a special agent with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service said the couple had put the country at risk in their attempt to contact a foreign government with sensitive information. "The Toebbes betrayed the American people and put our national security at significant risk," he said in a statement.

Miscreants have slaughtered a couple in Khatamudpur union under Syedpur upazila of Nilphamari in the early hours of Sunday. The incident took place at 2am in Balapara area of ​​the upazila. The deceased were identified as Nazrul Islam, 55, and his wife Salma Khatun, 45. Locals said miscreants entered the house at the dead of night and slaughtered the couple. Meanwhile, Abdur Razzak, an employee of the family, was also stabbed when he tried to resist the culprits. He was rushed to Syedpur 100-bed hospital in critical condition. On information, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Ashok Kumar Pal and Officer-in-Charge of Sayedpur Police Station (OC) Shahjahan Pasha visited the spot on Sunday morning. The bodies were sent to Nilphamari morgue for autopsy, he added.   MHK