U.S. Scientist Arrested for Allegedly Attempting to Pass Secrets to Israel

Nozette, who established his own company, ACT, had been under criminal investigation by NASA's Office of the Inspector General for submitting false billing records to NASA and the Defense Department as part of his government contracting work with ACT.

The Justice Department said Monday that 52-year-old Stewart Nozette, shown in this file photo, was...

The Justice Department said Monday that 52-year-old Stewart Nozette, shown in this file photo, was charged in a criminal complaint with attempting to communicate, deliver and transmit classified information to an individual he believed to be an Israeli intelligence officer.

(NASA.gov)

The FBI affidavit in the case also alleges that between November 1998 and January 2008, Nozette had worked as a consultant for an Israeli aerospace company.

"Approximately once a month, representatives of the aerospace company posed questions, or tasking, to Nozette. Nozette answered the aerospace company's questions and in return, Nozette received regular payments from the company totaling approximately $225,000."

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According to the affidavit, the FBI undercover agent told Nozette the Mossad would like to use a dead drop location to pass information via a post office box in Washington. In a series of later meetings with undercover agents, Nozette discussed getting paid by the Israelis and made reference to the aerospace company, allegedly saying, "I thought I was working for you already. I mean that's what I always thought, [the foreign company] was just a front."

During one meeting, Nozette indicated he could be paid in cash up to $10,000. "Cash is fine…[I know] how to handle cash...you buy consumables…cash is good for anything…you can eat it, drink it or screw it."

On Sept. 10, 2009, FBI agents left a letter -- in the post office box Nozette had been told about -- for him to answer questions about U.S. satellite information. A week later, Nozette returned the letter to the post office box with answers to the questions, and passport pictures for an Israeli passport the scientist had requested and an encrypted computer thumb drive.