Sailor Admits To Espionage

NORFOLK, Dec. 4 -- A sailor accused of stealing a Navy laptop computer and peddling its classified contents to a foreign government at an embassy in Austria pleaded guilty Monday to espionage, desertion and other charges.

Under an agreement approved by the secretary of the Navy, Petty Officer 3rd Class Ariel J. Weinmann, 22, of Salem, Ore., pleaded guilty to one of three counts of espionage and one count each of desertion, failing to properly safeguard and store classified information, electronically copying classified information, communicating classified information to a person not entitled to receive it, stealing a government computer, and destroying the computer.

Weinmann told the judge, Navy Capt. Daniel O'Toole, that he copied 29 classified documents and four classified technical manuals onto the hard drive of a Navy laptop. The military has not said what it thinks he was looking to trade it for.

Court adjourned Monday with O'Toole yet to accept the plea. Attorneys need to work out details regarding Weinmann's cooperation with investigators after trial.

Under the deal, Weinmann offered to talk to investigators and take polygraph tests about information he might have compromised.

Weinmann did not identify the foreign government.