Alleged spy caught in Colorado sought job at NSA to give secrets to Russia

A new document filed in federal court lays out the government's case that a man arrested in Colorado for attempting to share state secrets with Russia purposely sought out a job at the National Security Agency with the intent of accessing high-level secret information and selling them to the Russian government. 

In the government's "Memorandum to Support Detention," lawyers representing the United States government claim that Jareh Dalke began working for the NSA on June 6th with a Top Secret/SCI clearance. That level of clearance grants access to classified information held only in certain places to ensure they are not released. 

His last day at the NSA was July 1st. 

The new filing claims that Dalke "undertook a deliberate and calculated effort to steal classified national defense information he knew would benefit Russia and harm the United States." In his explanation to a covert agent, he applied for the NSA position because he had "questioned our role in damage to the world in the past and by mixture of curiosity for secrets and a desire to cause change." 

Less than a month later, Dakle allegedly began communicating with a covert agent he believed was working for the Russian government, but was in fact an FBI agent. 

In August, Dalke requested $85,000 in return for the secrets he had taken. The filings show he then re-applied for a job at the NSA. 

The government remains unsure of exactly how much classified information was taken. 

Dalke faces six counts, each of which could potentially carry a life sentence if convicted. At a hearing Tuesday, the government will petition a federal judge to continue to detail Dalke.