The communication from the former NSA employee, composed in Cyrillic script, was unexpected to fall into the possession of a Russian agent.
Addressing the alleged operative, Dalke expressed, as per court records, "My friends! I am delighted to finally share this information with you... I anticipate our friendship and mutual benefit." Dalke, aged 32 and formerly an information systems security designer at the NSA, was burdened by significant debts from student loans and credit cards. In what he believed were covert correspondences, he requested $85,000 for sensitive national security information that he claimed would aid Russia.
"This individual, who had pledged an oath to defend our nation, believed he was selling classified national security data to a Russian agent, unaware that he was exposing himself to the FBI," stated Attorney General Merrick B. Garland on Monday. "This sentence underscores that those who attempt to betray our country will face consequences for their actions." Dalke, a resident of Colorado Springs, expressed in his interactions with the undercover agent that he sought to assist Russia due to his doubts about the U.S.'s historical impact on global affairs, alongside a combination of curiosity for secrets and a desire for change.
"I see an opportunity to help rebalance the world's scales while also addressing my own needs," Dalke informed the agent, as detailed in court documents. He requested payment in cryptocurrency due to "the extreme importance of privacy in such matters."
FBI Special Agent Rebecca Shaw's affidavit revealed that Dalke had nearly $84,000 in credit card and student loan debts.
After less than a month at the NSA, Dalke resigned, citing a family illness and the agency's inability to grant his request for nine months off.
In August 2022, several weeks after leaving the NSA, Dalke sent excerpts from three classified documents, including a threat assessment of sensitive U.S. defense capabilities, to prove his access to information and his "willingness to share," according to a federal affidavit. Shaw stated that Dalke held a top-secret security clearance, having signed "a lifetime binding non-disclosure agreement" to protect classified government information. Dalke transferred four additional classified files to the undercover FBI agent on Sept. 28, 2022, according to the Justice Department, and was arrested shortly thereafter. He pleaded guilty to the charges in October.
Established in 1952, the NSA leads the United States government in cryptology and serves as a combat support agency responsible for securing military communications and data, as well as providing electronic intelligence.
A spokesperson for the NSA declined to comment when contacted by USA TODAY. Dalke's attorney listed in court records did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Monday. A former senior official for the FBI and Department of Homeland Security told USA TODAY that there are multiple potential motives for disclosing classified information. According to Ali, there has been no clear common denominator among espionage cases, making it difficult to "detect in advance," but money, dissatisfaction with government policy, and a lack of self-worth have all played roles in previous cases. Although rare, such actions can pose a serious risk to national security," Ali stated.
Whenever an agent attempts – and sometimes succeeds – in a breach, the agency retraces its steps and reevaluates what went wrong to prevent a recurrence.
"This doesn't mean you'll ever be 100% immune from this type of activity, but you try to plug the holes that you know were exploited, and then you also have to trust your employees to do the right thing."