Welcome to the 87th Weekend Shift!
What’s the deal? Over the weekend, we’ll update this post with some of the most interesting articles, podcasts, charts, and opinion pieces we’re too busy to write about.
OK, only crypto? Not necessarily. We do that Monday to Friday, so we try to explore new subjects on weekends.
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October 1
This post will be updated over the weekend. You can follow us on Twitter and Google News or listen to our investigative podcast Innovated: Blockchain City.
Secrets for crypto: Ex-NSA worker could be executed if found guilty
A former National Security Agency (NSA) employee could face life in prison or a possible death sentence after apparently attempting to sell US defense secrets to Russia in exchange for crypto.
According to an affidavit filed earlier this week, 30-year-old Jareh Sebastian Dalke tried to sell three separate classified files — two of which were stamped ‘top secret’ — to an unnamed foreign government.
While the government that Dalke attempted to deal with hasn’t technically been confirmed, the affidavit revealed that he attempted to verify his buyer’s legitimacy by communicating with a Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) TOR site.
The files in question relate specifically to sensitive US defense capabilities, plans to update a certain cryptographic program, and assessments of foreign government military strength.
In exchange for the secret files, Dalke is said to have asked for payment in crypto and at one point requested $85,000 worth of digital currency.
Unfortunately for Dalke, the ‘foreign agent’ he was conspiring with turned out to be an undercover FBI operative, and he was arrested.
Like the government in question, court documents don’t disclose Dalke’s supposed crypto of choice but they do detail how he was allegedly sent 0.64053413 units worth $99.99 by the FBI in order to confirm the wallet address.
Online sleuths have since pointed out that the amount of crypto and the money received by Dalke closely matched Monero’s value at the time ~$97 on August 24.
Read more: That couple who sold US nuclear sub plans for Monero have pleaded guilty
Dalke allegedly funneled funds into a Kraken account
Dalke is said to have received a second crypto payment from the FBI, bringing his total received to 31.4185 units. It’s alleged that Dalke transferred this crypto into a Kraken account listed under his real name.
Kraken operates a Know-Your-Customer (KYC) policy and when pressed by law enforcement, the exchange revealed:
- a Colorado address associated with Dalke,
- a telephone number that matches the number on his NSA employment records,
- his passport and social security details.
The NSA also suggest that Dalke was the only individual at the NSA to have printed all three relevant classified files in June, 2022.
This article was originally published on protos.com