(NEW YORK) — A 67-year-old South Dakota man has been sent to prison for over 10 years after being convicted of attempting to disclose classified information on U.S. Air Force systems to the Russian government, officials said.
The U.S. Department of Justice announced on Monday that John Murray Rowe from Lead, South Dakota, was sentenced to 126 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release and a $25,000 fine for attempted espionage.
Rowe was charged by indictment in December 2021 and pleaded guilty in April of last year to one count of attempted delivery of national defense information to a foreign government, and three counts of willful communication of national defense information.
According to court documents, Rowe was employed for nearly 40 years as a test engineer for multiple cleared defense contractors and held various high-level while he worked on matters relating to U.S. Air Force electronic warfare technology.
However, after several security violations and “concerning inquiries and statements about Russia and sensitive information,” according to the DOJ, Rowe was identified as a potential insider threat and terminated from employment.
“In March 2020, Rowe told an undercover FBI agent, who he believed to be an agent of the Russian government, that he was not loyal to the United States and that he was interested in helping Russia,” officials said in their statement regarding Rowe on Monday. “During this meeting, Rowe disclosed national defense information classified as [information] that concerned specific operating details of the electronic countermeasure systems used by U.S. military fighter jets, among other things.”
Over the course of the next eight months, Rowe exchanged over 300 emails with a person he believed to be a Russian agent, confirming his willingness to work for the Russian government and discussing his knowledge of classified information relating to U.S. national security, according to officials.
In one email, Rowe was accused of explaining, “If I can’t get a job [in the United States] then I’ll go work for the other team.” In another email, Rowe was said to disclose classified national defense information concerning the U.S. Air Force and, in September 2020, Rowe had a second in-person meeting with the undercover FBI agent where he again disclosed classified national defense information.
“The defendant spent decades working on sensitive U.S. defense programs and was entrusted with safeguarding protected and classified information about military technology. Instead of honoring that trust and his legal responsibilities as a clearance holder, he chose to violate both — repeatedly and willfully attempting to disclose classified information to someone he believed was a foreign agent,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “The Justice Department will hold accountable those who disregard country and conscience at the expense of our Nation’s security, including, as here, out of spite.”
Rowe was arrested on a criminal complaint and warrant on Dec. 15, 2021, and was detained while he waited for his trial to begin but was caught disclosing the same classified national defense information concerning the U.S. Air Force to relatives and an associate during recorded prison calls.
“Despite his knowledge, training, experience, and decades of work as a military contractor, Rowe chose to betray the trust placed in him by his country,” said U.S. Attorney David Metcalf for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. “His repeated, willful efforts to harm the U.S. by divulging sensitive defense information to an adversary are inexcusable. My office and our partners will continue to hold fully accountable anyone seeking to compromise the national security of the United States.”
“By attempting to disclose classified information on U.S. Air Force systems to the Russian government, John Rowe endangered American lives and compromised U.S. national security,” said Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division.
Rozhavsky added, “This sentencing demonstrates the FBI and our partners will use every tool available to safeguard the homeland from internal and external threats. Anyone tempted to violate their oath to safeguard classified information should understand the severe consequences — and remember the FBI will never stop until we bring you to justice.”
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