Couple accused of sandwich espionage sentenced

(CNN) – A United States nuclear engineer and his wife have learned their fate after trying to sell information about nuclear-powered warships.

The couple pleaded guilty to the charge of conspiring to sell classified information to a foreign country.

Jonathan Toebbe was sentenced to more than 19 years in prison. His wife, Diana Toebbe, got more than 21 years.

Prosecutors said the couple went to great lengths to hide encrypted SD cards at dead-drop locations.

They said the couple tucked one into a Saran-wrapped peanut butter sandwich.

Others were hidden inside a pack of gum and a sealed Band-Aid wrapper.

The couple thought they were dealing with agents of a foreign government and they would get thousands of dollars in cryptocurrency in exchange for the classified information.

They were actually dealing with undercover FBI agents.

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