Navy: Oregon Sailor Passed National Defense Information to Foreign Government Officials in Austria And Mexico

(NORFOLK, Va.) - The Navy has released new details surrounding the alleged espionage and desertion case against former Salem resident Ariel J. Weinmann.

The Navy says Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents found $4,000 cash, three CD-ROMs, an external computer storage device and memory cards for storing digital in the 21-year-old Fire Control Technician petty officer third class pockets.

Weinmann is facing charges that include desertion, larceny, destroying US military property, failure to obey orders or regulations, and espionage

According to testimony by a customs agent at a preliminary hearing, Weinmann was found carrying a piece of paper with the names, Social Security numbers and birth dates of two individuals, as well as a notebook whose handwritten contents.

In this case, officials say the charges could result in a life sentence if Weinmann is court-martialed and found guilty.

Weinmann was arrested Sunday, March 26th at Dallas/Ft. Worth International Airport.

The Navy alleges that Weinmann tried to pass secrets to foreign officials while in Bahrain, during sub's port visit, in March 2005; in Vienna on October 19th 2005; and in Mexico City on March 19th 2006.

Weinmann put electronic copies of the classified information classified confidential and secret onto a government laptop between May and July 2005, knowing that the information "was to be used to the injury of the United States or to the advantage of a foreign nation."

Then allegedly stole the laptop, three CD-ROMs, an external computer storage device and memory cards for storing digital images when he deserted the submarine in Connecticut on July 3rd , 2005.

Military officials believe he destroyed the hard drive "by smashing it with a mallet" in Vienna in March 2006.

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Chicken February 12, 2007 10:19 pm (Pacific time)

I stand by my last post Spycatcher. $4 grand is chicken feed to betray your country. Boyce, Hansen, and Ames held out for a lot more. Plus you are forgetting that submariners are highly psychologically screened. A MMPI-2 would have revealed his character and propensity to treason. Maybe he is a pawn in a sick OFCO (Offensive Counterintelligence Operations) op? I hope not. If he just got 12-years then I hope it is just another Christopher Boyce-type sentence (He's a free man now after getting a life-sentence). Button-pushers no more understand how it all works no more than a X-Box player knows whats inside the box. The USNAVY has SOP on-board subs that keep submariners compartmentalized from the secret stuff. Guess who just bought 2 nuclear submarines? A so-called US friendly country with no business having nuclear ANYTHING. I wonder how that happened... My sources? Its called OSI (open-source intelligence)... Your downplaying of OSI shows you have no understanding of its effectiveness and worth if analyzed properly. A certain agency in Langley VA has a whole department dedicated to it... How many more "moving van" scenarios on CONUS USN sub-bases are we going to tolerate (by squelching news stories) by this same "friendly" country? I feel another 2001 Fort Lee NJ scenario coming on...

spycatcher December 11, 2006 1:05 pm (Pacific time)

12 years? Has the DoJ gone MAD???

spycatcher September 22, 2006 11:12 am (Pacific time)

Editor, What happened here. It seemed as if a dialog were about to occur. For men are good in but one way, but bad in many... ARISTOTLE, Nicomachean Ethics, Book 2 chapter 6; 350 B.C.

spycatcher September 7, 2006 1:37 pm (Pacific time)

Is Chicken serious about his last comment posted? "What could this kid have..." I'm not sure if you remember or not but the average age of military personnel is quite low when you compare the rest of our labor force! These "Kids" are the ones who are pushing the buttons on these vehicles that are capable of unimaginable feats. What we need to worry about is how to stop this activity from happening again, we know it will but the more people who are informed about how to report (1-800-CALL-SPY), the better chance we have to stop acts of Espionage from happening. What concerns me most about the posts here, is that the points of view from individuals like "Chicken" are not very clear or precise. I'm curious as to what sources they use to collect...open source is good but is it accurate? I don't think so. Its just as opinionated as the folks who post here (self included). Sometimes $4K might seem like an insignificant amount of money to us, but to a young guy like weinnman who is on the run or in hiding, I am sure he wasn't waiting for his millions to appear in a numbered account..thats movie stuff. Who cares if it was OFCO in the works, isn't that something we should be doing anyway? In the tech arena, US is far more advanced militarily than any nation (Russia included). I've seen it with my own eyes, our boots on the ground have equipment that would make the average commie salivate. Please do us all a favor and update your news source, the 80's have been over for quite a while now.

Chicken August 30, 2006 10:10 am (Pacific time)

According to Avotaynu, Inc. (a Jewish genealogy org) the surname 'Weinmann' may be of German origin but is clearly a Jewish surname too. So who's fooling who? What was his motivation? No not $4,000 USD... that's too ridiculous even for a jaded American gen-x punk... This kid appears to be an idealistic "follower" like Christopher Boyce from the TRW incident (Falcon and Snowman?). The motivation was not money but political-science ideals. Yes they made a deal with the Russians who wanted our encryption technology. In the final analysis IMO what they got was NOT anything they could use - as I think it was a disinfo operation. And guess what? BTW niether Falcon nor Snowman is still in jail anymore - even after so-called life-sentences (or darn near close to it - one even escaped for a little while)! Fancy that - can you spell 'Lets make a deal'? This time, IMO, it ain't the Ruskies... What exactly would they need from US on sub technology this kid would have access too? They are far more advanced in that particular department, IMO of course. The only other so-called 'friendly' nation that could use anything this submariner could offer is 'you know who'. What 'they' will do with it is anybody's guess... maybe use to to further manipulate Iran/US hostilities??? Hmmm... Iran does have a fleet of Russian submarines don't they? So according to Monty Hall in the old US game show Let's Make a Deal... what door is Weinmann's true motivation behind... door #1, 2, or 3? I choose #3 Monty!

Spycatcher August 26, 2006 4:10 pm (Pacific time)

Reference the first comment on this string...if Jonathan Pollard's motivation was nationalism, what is Weinmann's? More often than not $$ is the motivating factor, rarely do we see people like Pollard, a German Born Jew who felt he "Owed" Israel because we were witholding info. We must do our part to report suspicious activity. Curious what is the opinion on Hannsen getting life and not the Death Sentence?

The Editor August 26, 2006 3:55 pm (Pacific time)

Carl, If I post and then later decide to change a photo it is not censoring. I'm the one who selected the photo in the first place. Please feel free to share the information about Jonathan Pollard.

Carl Reynolds August 26, 2006 9:41 am (Pacific time)

To the editors who censored the Israeli flag photo: ever hear of Jonathan Pollard?

The Editor August 24, 2006 2:16 pm (Pacific time)

The photograph Greg K. mentions has now been changed. The image depicted a spy and other elements including the Israeli flag. This image was selected because of early allegations regarding the young man's possible connections to Israel. Greg, with time I think we are all learning that the national sites you referred to have lost their edge when it comes to the Internet. Salem-News.com is on a level with all of the biggest names you can find when it comes to Google news. There are many reasons for that and of course our primary emphasis is on Salem, Oregon and the Mid-Willamette Valley. But we have run many stories that were very national in nature and we have repeatedly had front page stories on Google and Yahoo. By that I mean the very front page before you search for anything. As possibly the only news organization in America that is primarily staffed by journalists who have military backgrounds, there are countless reasons why his father would be wise to contact us. At any rate, we do not like to anger people and we respect the contents of our comments page. The photo has been removed and I hope that everyone finds the new image more agreeable. Tim King

Greg K. August 24, 2006 11:55 am (Pacific time)

Mr. King, I'm surprized that while admitting no evidence of Jewish/Israeli link you still keep that picture. It must be removed immediately as it is a clear case of spreading fraudulent information. I would not expect any surprizes from interview with his father. He already gave information to the reputable nation-wide magazines. Why would he suddenly change it for the local paper?

Chicken August 22, 2006 5:36 pm (Pacific time)

Yes Abe you must be right... Israel would never do anything negative to Americans. (sarcasm-off) Like USS Liberty 1967, Fort Lee NJ 2001, suspicous moving vans sneaking on our sub bases, Israeli company cell phone spying in WDC back in 90's, Isreali spy-moles everywhere... See http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/archives/cat_israeli_spying.html Come on Abe you guys will never be smarter than U.S.! We know what the real score is here in the good ol' US of A. Stop the insanity and drop the facade. We'd probably help you willingly if you guys would just come clean and stop trying to manipulate us to fight your wars!!!

Abe Bird August 22, 2006 5:08 am (Pacific time)

Why do you put Isreali flag in the picture space? It is well known that Isreal is out of thid story !!! Are you playing for the FBI Anti Semites chickens that see Jew behind every tree (as Mouhammad) !!

The Editor August 22, 2006 12:01 am (Pacific time)

Greg, The answer would be a little of both. The story initially had overtones regarding Israel, so that would be point number one. I live in Salem, Oregon and have left a message with the family. I am a veteran and an open-minded news editor. So I am saddened that his father, whom I specifically left a message for, has not returned the call. Maybe more clarity would exist in the story if he would call, or maybe he has been directed by the government not to talk to the media. I will probably use different artwork on the next update. I hope that addresses your question. Tim King

Greg K. August 21, 2006 11:37 pm (Pacific time)

Question to the Salem-News staff: One of three photos here implies Jewish/Israeli connection to the Ariel Weinmann case. Do you posess information in support of it? Or it is an unintentional mistake?

Anonymous August 21, 2006 3:55 pm (Pacific time)

The Navy is now saying that Ariel Weinmann allegedlly spied for the Russians.

Albert Marnell August 21, 2006 10:16 am (Pacific time)

Dear Greg K. You are are an astute writer and a person who does his homework. I wish most people put the effort you did into their commentary. Do not assume that people who write anti-semitic things or perceived anti-semitic things are what I would consider real German-Americans. We do not know the ethnic backround of people who write in. I have an Irish last name but not a drop of Irish blood. My mother was Hamburg born and my father's parents were born in Sicily. Marnell comes from Marinello. The largest European ethnic group in this country is still people with all or some German blood. Do not make assumptions about the largest group of immigrants in the United States. Doris Day, Bob Denver, Sandra Bullock are all of German backround. So many people with the names Smith and Miller were changed from Schmidt and Mueller. It is endless. Most of the people that I have spoken to that are true neo-Nazi's know nothing about their heritage or the heritage of others. I have even been threatened by them because they think that I am Jewish. I have been physically attacked by African Americans who thought I was Jewish. As far as Bush is concerned, he is hated for many reasons that have nothing to do with Israel. His people cheated in the election, the WMD lies, his red herrings about abortion and gay marriage were used to rope in the uneducated religious right in order to help him win the election. He and the tens of thousands of powerful people that back him for their own gain are no saints. Some people beard their opinions because certain ethnic groups have special protection under the law. It has been legal for people to say and print the most vile things about Germans and other groups which is something that I deeply resent. I am sick of discussions about the Second World War without an in-depth discussion of the First World War. The two should be inseparable. No one is a saint here, whether they be German, German Jewish, Jewish, American, Israeli, British, French, Russian, Turkish, Kurdish, African American etc. All groups have people that are blinded by their backround and the truth and lies about their heritage.

spycatcher August 21, 2006 10:04 am (Pacific time)

compared to the likes of Pollard, Hanssen, Conrad, Ames and Lonetree this guy is joke. Not that I support their activity, on the contrary. However when you think about Ryan Anderson you have to wonder, WHAT IS GOING ON WITH TODAYS YOUTH?

Greg K. August 21, 2006 2:22 am (Pacific time)

In the article about Ariel Weinmann (see link http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1224928,00.html) the reputable magazine Times writes: "Since his case first became public last week, Internet blogs have speculated that Israel was receiving the classified information. Robert Weinmann says his son is not Jewish (the family's heritage is German), and Navy sources also say Israel is not the alleged recipient." Is there more reliable source than his immediate family? Certainly not the local speculators. Consequently all the comments here about his Jewish origin and spying for Israel is just a wishful thinking. Don't be misled by name Ariel. Like many other Hebrew names, John, Mark, David, etc., it is in common usage. (See example http://www.auburnfootball.com/about-name-ariel.htm ). Anyway does this SINGLE case affect the good name of the German-American community? Not at all. However those MULTIPLE comments, filled with hatred and deceit, on background of SILENCE, do compromise it. And what is effect? Let for a moment turn attention to the Chicago Sun-Times article (see link http://www.suntimes.com/output/otherviews/cst-edt-ref07.html ). It is worth to reproduce a following statement:"Hassan Abassi, adviser to Iran's supreme leader, openly proclaimed in 2004: "We have a strategy drawn up for the destruction of Anglo-Saxon civilization. We have already spied on 29 sensitive sites in the U.S. and the West, and we know how we are going to attack them."" How about Iran acquiring nuclear weapon with open intentions, as stated, while some speculators here deflect public attention on a mysterious Jewish peril? Regarding President: Mr. Bush is known for his firm position on Iran. Have you noticed who's unhappy with him here? Yes, it is the same source which inspire inter-ethnic hatred (at the time when we all need unity). Is it clear who's interests are served by some speculators?

Albert Marnell August 20, 2006 11:27 am (Pacific time)

Dear Michael H. Go to the July 28th article on Mel Gibson. Someone used the name "JEWS RULE". Where do you draw the line? How did you feel about that person's nom de plume? I am sure you know that it is a very difficult job for the staff to decide what is free speech, even if it sounds stupid. I am against selectivity in omission on all things. I want to know what everyone thinks or does not think and I can decide how to interpret or not interpret something. The job of an editor is hard enough. You should have read and listened to all of the in my face comments that I had to put up with for 5 decades. Besides, this is the internet, do you want regulation on the internet? I want to hear and see it all. Even the beheadings in Iraq were not put on television. I had to go to www.ogrish.com and search under beheadings to see reality. It still makes me sick but it is reality. If you go there watch what happened to Eugene Armstrong. It puts all of our problems into perspective.

Albert Marnell August 19, 2006 4:15 am (Pacific time)

On August 9th, a Navy official (with no name of course) said that Mr. Weinmann was not spying for Israel. Do I believe what a Navy official says when we do not even know who he is? Of course I do not. In the U.S. anti-Israeli sentiment seems to be at an all time high. Could this be another fabrication from the military? It is all a shame because I happen to like most people that I meet from Israel. It is always the people in power...industrialists, politicians, bankers etc. that create war, problems and everything else and make their average citizen look bad. Europeans always ask me, "How did such a man like Bush get in office?" All I can tell them is that there was cheating in Florida in the elections and this is not a democracy as Bush would have you believe and the general public is very gullible and watches too much television and does not bother to educate themselves. You do not have to go to a university to be educated. People educate themselves even when they attend some college (another business with a bottom line.) Even Hezbollah gets money from the wealthy and powerful of their ideology.

Albert Marnell August 19, 2006 3:39 am (Pacific time)

I am not sure what is bothering Michael Heggen either. A couple of weeks ago, I was at a friend's house and in the backround his parents were watching a movie. My mother was German born and I had to listen in the backround to "How many Germans did you kill?" I used to get very upset. Now I just shake my head. But I will continue to relate these kinds of stories till the day I die. Even Hogan's Hero's used to offend my grandfather. He would tell me if the Germans were that stupid they would not have almost won the war even though the whole world ganged up on them.

The Editor August 18, 2006 8:38 pm (Pacific time)

Michael, Same request from me, I approved that comment when it was very late and I can't say I knew exactly what their point was, clue us all in. If somebody writes blatant racism, that is gone like the wind by me. Politics sometimes border on racism though and it can be a hard call. I guess I have to profess my ignorance on this one and Semper Fi and I will wait for you to explain. Tim King- former member of the Semper Fi club.

Semper Fidelis August 18, 2006 8:24 pm (Pacific time)

Heggen, Can you elaborate on what you wrote?

Michael Heggen August 18, 2006 11:28 am (Pacific time)

All right, S-N.com, what's with the blatant bigotry of "Eva Besserwisser"? I'm disappointed that you let claptrap like that through in your user comments.

Jarhead August 18, 2006 7:42 am (Pacific time)

Never judge a book by it's cover. In a time of war, life in prison should not be an option, death for espionage is befitting!

Eva Besserwisser August 18, 2006 3:00 am (Pacific time)

Deleted

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