By Jan Wolfe
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A former U.S. Navy engineer charged with attempting to sell secrets about nuclear submarines to a foreign power will appear in court for a plea hearing on Monday, a likely indication that he intends to plead guilty.
In a short order issued on Friday, a magistrate judge in Martinsburg, West Virginia, said Jonathan Toebbe will appear in court on Monday at 3 p.m. ET (2000 GMT) for a plea hearing.
The order did not say whether Toebbe intends to plead guilty, but such orders are typically issued after a defendant makes a plea with prosecutors rather than go to trial.
Lawyers for Toebbe did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Toebbe was arrested on Oct. 9 in Jefferson County, West Virginia, following a year-long sting operation by undercover FBI agents, the Justice Department said in a statement. He has been in federal custody since his arrest.
Toebbe, a former nuclear engineer with top-secret security clearance, is accused of sending Navy documents to an unnamed foreign entity in 2020, along with instructions on how to obtain additional information.
The Justice Department did not name the country involved.
(Reporting by Jan Wolfe; Editing by Sandra Maler)
