Spy-case search findings detailed

WASHINGTON — The FBI found a trash bag of shredded documents, thousands of dollars in cash, latex gloves and a “go-bag” when they searched the home of a Maryland couple accused of trying to sell information about nuclear-powered warships to a foreign country, an agent testified Wednesday.

Jonathan Toebbe, a Navy nuclear engineer, and his wife, Diana, were arrested in West Virginia this month on espionage charges.

Prosecutors allege that Jonathan Toebbe tried to pass secrets about sophisticated and expensive Virginia-class submarines to someone he thought was a representative of a foreign government but who was actually an undercover FBI agent. The government accuses Diana Toebbe of serving as a lookout for her husband at several “dead drop” locations at which sensitive information was left behind.

The couple pleaded innocent in federal court in Martinsburg, W.Va. They face life in prison if convicted. The Toebbes have been jailed since their arrests.

The country to which Toebbe was looking to sell the information has not been identified in court documents and was not disclosed in court during the detention hearing Wednesday.

A judge heard arguments but did not immediately rule on whether Diana Toebbe should continue to be locked up. Jonathan Toebbe waived his right to a detention hearing.

Peter Olinits, a Pittsburgh-based agent specializing in counterintelligence investigations, testified in support of the government’s argument that Diana Toebbe was a potential flight risk and should remain jailed as the case moved forward. He described how agents on the day of the couple’s arrest found, among other objects, $11,300 in cash, children’s valid passports and a “go-bag” containing a USB flash drive and latex gloves.