Maryland Espionage Trial Postponed Until 2022, Giving More Time To Prepare Case: Report

ANNAPOLIS, MD — U.S. District Judge Gina Groh postponed the trial for a Maryland couple charged with espionage-related crimes, WDVM reported last Wednesday. Journalist Steven Cohen said pre-trial motions were set to begin last week, but they were pushed to Feb. 17. This will give both sides more time to prepare their case before the federal trial in Martinsburg, West Virginia.

The investigation first made headlines in October when officials accused the Annapolis duo of conspiring to sell government secrets. Prosecutors said the suspects thought they were working with a foreign government, but they were really coordinating with an undercover FBI agent trying to catch them.

The suspects then agreed to sell three files on nuclear-powered warships to the undercover agent in exchange for $100,000 in cryptocurrency, the government said. Authorities eventually caught the suspects hiding several encrypted SD cards in West Virginia and Virginia, using decoy containers like a peanut butter sandwich and a chewing gum package.

The FBI and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service arrested the accused couple on Oct. 9 in Jefferson County, West Virginia. The U.S. Department of Justice identified the arrestees as 42-year-old Jonathan Toebbe, a nuclear engineer for the Department of the Navy, and 45-year-old Diana Toebbe, who is accused of playing lookout during the drop-offs.

Diana Toebbe later asked the court to stay at home with the couple's two children until the trial. Washington Post journalist Devlin Barrett said a judge rejected that request on Oct. 21, calling Diana Toebbe a flight risk.

To learn more about the trial postponement, check out the full story on WDVM.

RELATED:

• Annapolis Spy Suspect Must Stay In Prison Until Trial: Report
• MD Couple Faces Espionage Charges Over Secret Data: FBI

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