Cryptocurrency was used to sell classified US data

Jare Sebastian Dahlke, a former employee of the National Security Agency (NSA), tried to sell information from three classified documents for cryptocurrency. According to the Ministry of Justice, the attacker wanted to receive $ 85,000 in digital assets for the secret data.

According to representatives of the US Department of Justice, Jare Sebastian Dahlke planned to sell classified data to a person who worked for a foreign government (as the fraudster believed). However, the person in question turned out to be an undercover Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent. on September 28, Dahlke was arrested while trying to pass on classified information.

According to Dalke, he took this step because he was «experiencing financial difficulties.» To prove the authenticity of the classified information to the pseudo-buyer, Dalke handed him an extract from three documents. One of them was labeled «Secret» and the other two were «Top Secret». Dalke also promised the FBI agent that he would share additional information in the future. To do so, the defendant reapplied for a job at the NSA, but was not accepted back.

The former NSA employee has been charged with three violations of the Espionage Act, which carries a penalty of death or imprisonment for several years to life. It is not yet known exactly what kind of punishment Jare Sebastian Dahlke will face.

It is possible that the National Cryptocurrency Law Enforcement Oversight Group, established by the U.S. Department of Justice, will also deal with Dahlke’s case. The creation of the committee and its main tasks became known on September 17. «As digital assets play an important role in our global financial system, we must work in tandem with departments and government agencies. This way, we can prevent the criminal use of cryptocurrencies and undermine national security,» Attorney General Merrick Garland said at the time.