Jareh Sebastian Dalke, a former National Security Agency employee, received a nearly 22-year prison sentence on Monday for selling classified information to an undercover FBI agent posing as a Russian official.
The sentence, requested by government prosecutors, was handed down by U.S. District Judge Raymond Moore, who described 32-year-old Dalke's actions as a “calculated betrayal” and as “close to treasonous” as possible.
Judge Moore emphasized the severity of Dalke's offense, noting that he could have imposed an even longer sentence. Dalke, who pleaded guilty to espionage charges last fall as part of a plea deal, faced a defense request for a 14-year sentence. His attorneys cited factors such as Dalke's traumatic brain injury, multiple suicide attempts, and childhood trauma as mitigating circumstances.
During the sentencing hearing, Dalke expressed remorse and claimed to suffer from PTSD, bipolar disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. He denied ideological motivations or financial gain, suggesting instead that he was attracted to the thrill of his actions. However, Judge Moore questioned the credibility of Dalke's claims, citing a lack of expert opinions or hospital records presented by the defense.
Court documents revealed that Dalke, who worked at the NSA for about a month, received cryptocurrency payments totaling $16,499 for excerpts of classified documents and offered to sell additional information for $85,000. Prosecutors stated that Dalke's actions posed a significant risk to national security, as the disclosed documents included sensitive information about U.S. defense capabilities and a threat assessment of a foreign country's military offensive capabilities.
Dalke was arrested in Denver's downtown train station in September 2022, moments after he transferred the classified files to the undercover FBI agent. FBI Special Agent in Charge Mark Michalek emphasized the grave danger posed by Dalke's actions to national security, emphasizing that he was fully aware of the risk associated with disclosing classified information.
