A Navy machinist mate who served on nuclear submarines has been arrested by the FBI and Navy investigators on military charges of espionage, the FBI said Tuesday.
The FBI said the charges involve the attempted sale of top-secret information to the representative of a foreign government but that “to date, no classified defense information was successfully provided . . . to any foreign interest or government.”
That suggested the seaman may have been dealing with a U.S. agent posing as a foreign spy, but that could not immediately be confirmed.
The FBI identified the man as Machinist Mate 1st Class Kurt G. Lessenthien, 29, on active duty as a first class petty officer and an instructor at the Navy Nuclear Power School in Orlando. The arrest was made Monday in Orlando. Lessenthien formerly served as a machinist mate on nuclear submarines.
