Navy Sailor From Salem Pleads Guilty to Espionage

Weinmann pleaded guilty to trying to transmit classified information related to national defense to a representative of a foreign government on Oct. 19th, 2005 while he was in or near Vienna, Austria.

(NORFOLK, Va. ) - A Navy sailor from Salem pled guilty Monday to espionage, desertion and other charges after the Navy accused him of stealing a laptop and peddling its classified contents to an undisclosed foreign governments. 22-year-old Petty Officer 3rd Class Ariel J. Weinmann, faces a sentence of life in prison without parole, a dishonorable discharge from the Navy and forfeiture of all pay. The Associated Press is reporting that under the plea agreement, Weinmann pleaded guilty to one count each of espionage, desertion, failing to properly safeguard and store classified information, copying classified information, communicating classified information to a person not entitled to receive it, and stealing and destroying a government computer. Weinmann pleaded not guilty to two additional espionage counts, one accusing him of giving classified information to an agent of a foreign government in March of 2005 in Bahrain and another accusing him of trying to deliver confidential information on March 19th, 2006 in Mexico City. Weinmann said he made copies of classified material on a laptop computer, which he brought with him to Austria. He said he printed one document and copied other information onto CDs and said he had unclassified, classified and secret information sitting on a table in his apartment in Austria. Weinmann told the judge, who had yet to accept the plea, that he deserted the Navy in July 2005 because the service did not meet his expectations. Weinmann, a fire control technician, had been stationed on the submarine USS Albuquerque. He said he did not report for duty aboard his submarine on July 3rd, 2005. He moved to Austria and never planned to come back to the United States, but changed his mind and was arrested in March at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.

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GQ December 8, 2006 8:04 pm (Pacific time)

F'it was much more dramatic.

GQRiddler December 8, 2006 3:31 pm (Pacific time)

I think they're just going to make soilent green patty cakes out of us....population reset button...HIT IT NOW! See if I care. Screw it.

From U.S. with Love December 8, 2006 10:06 am (Pacific time)

Dear From Russia, I know all too well the suffering in your country and the Russian people. Your top people (scientists etc.) are now in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, New York. They have created an incredible network of organized crime and do not worry, they will destroy the United States within our borders. They are very angry and are much more educated than traditional organized crime or even American Intelligence or lack thereof. By the way, we are in the midst of full globalization and nobody gives a crap about you or me or scientists or doctors or the general public. Americans are suffering too and soon will suffer as much as the people in the old U.S.S.R. Only the ruling banking class like The Rothchild's descendants and a few multinationals will survive and prosper. The rest of us are as good as dead. Don't feel so bad, Americans will get what they have been giving for a long time. One last note, Stalin was a real evil man, Hitler was not really so bad but certain groups in the U.S. have a vested interest in portraying him so and the majority of Americans are already hopelessly brainwashed. Stalin killed so many Ukrainians, about 20 million in 1933 by removing the topsoil and bringing it back to Russia. All of East Europe has historically been one real messed up place. I would exempt the Czech people and the Hungarians. Even the Poles have their heads up their Kazoo's even though they are honest hard working people. Your dream of a world in chaos is unstopable at this point, but the global elite will survive and maybe make a penny off of my body and yours. They will sell our hair to make wigs or make our skin into lampshades or a paper subsitute. They also may make soap out of us.

From Russia December 8, 2006 12:33 am (Pacific time)

I disagree with Putin's policy, as well as G.Bush's. But elections are all set in ourdays, so it is difficult to do anything about it. Russian politicians wanted to build a capitalizm/dimocracy here in RF, well it doesn’t work well. Country is experiencing much more problems than it had before the collapse; the prices in Russia are in proportional to our earnings. I don't agree that the collapse of USSR brought something good to the world. Our industry was growing rapidly; we had best scientists who made a real difference in this world. What now? All Ph.D's have to work in sales cause nobody gives a crap about them! That’s Putin’s policy

From U.S. with Love December 7, 2006 10:16 am (Pacific time)

Dear From Russia, The U.S. had it's part in collapsing many countries for well over 100 years. The beginning of the Leninist State tried to destroy the greatest country in the world...Germany....with the help of the United States. If Germany had been left alone in the first world war so that it could modernize Europe....the U.S. would not have had to deal with the U.S.S.R. for over 50 years. I thank God that the USSR collapsed...the Germans finally got what they wanted...and America too. Your government was just a little more evil than our government. I have nothing against the Russian people. I have something against Putin and our own Putin called George W. Bush. They should both get married and fight it out in a motel room in East Prussia.

From Russia December 7, 2006 2:56 am (Pacific time)

They blame Russians for this incident. Like we are the cause of all horrible things that happen in the world. In fact America had its part in collapsing USSR. We were totally neutral in regards to any countries. Think of it. Its just a political brainwash

Double Ex Patriot December 6, 2006 8:16 am (Pacific time)

There are no more countries! Get with it! You can no longer be a traitor when there are no countries. Get that into your stupid heads America! There are only mulitnationals and global bankers that love the fact that you still believe there is a United States. You are their fools and patsies. The Global Elite have no loyalty to what used to be the United States so why should you? They are screwing us, so I say screw the whole system. For the patriotic bird-brains and Bible Thumpers in the Mid-West and South and all around the town, I say, "Wake Up!" Weinmann is a hero freedom fighter just like Bin Laden and Timothy McVeigh. By the way, Marge Phelps, go take a long walk on a short pier! You are a real piece of work...you and the young dumb looking freaks that you recruit. At least the soldiers that have died so far thought they were dying for something important. Unfortunately, they were taken for a ride and some of them took us for a ride because they only went into the military to get freebies, like a college degree and other military benefits.

Ex Patriot December 6, 2006 6:25 am (Pacific time)

Anyone who gives away our countries secrets, like 9-11 being an inside job, is a terrorist, or a spy. Eventually there will be plenty of us "Weinmanns" going to concentration camps for trying to save our own country from this despotic shadow government that is now bringing all of us to our ruin.

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Navy Sailor From Salem Pleads Guilty to Espionage

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