Couple Accused of Sharing Nuclear Secrets With Venezuela
- Posted on September 17, 2010 at 7:24pm by
Meredith Jessup
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A scientist and his wife who both once worked at Los Alamos National Laboratory were arrested Friday after an FBI sting operation and charged with conspiring to help develop a nuclear weapon for Venezuela.
Former Los Alamos National Laboratory nuclear physicist P. Leonardo Mascheroni
After their arrest, the two appeared in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M.
They were accused of dealing with an FBI undercover agent posing as a Venezuelan agent. The government did not allege that Venezuela or anyone working for it sought U.S. secrets.
The pair were indicted for allegedly communicating classified nuclear weapons data to a person they believed to be a Venezuelan government official.
Accused in a 22-count indictment are Pedro Leonardo Mascheroni, 75, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Argentina, and Marjorie Roxby Mascheroni, 67, a U.S. citizen. Both were formerly contract employees at Los Alamos.
According to the indictment, Pedro Mascheroni told an undercover agent he could help Venezuela develop a nuclear bomb within 10 years and that under his program, Venezuela would use a secret, underground nuclear reactor to produce and enrich plutonium, and an open, aboveground reactor to produce nuclear energy.
In July 2008, the FBI agent provided Mascheroni with 12 questions purportedly from Venezuelan military and scientific personnel.
According to the criminal charges, Mascheroni delivered to a post office box in November 2008 a disk with a coded 132-page document on it that contained “restricted data” related to nuclear weapons. Written by Mascheroni and edited by his wife, the document was entitled “A Deterrence Program for Venezuela” and it laid out Mascheroni’s nuclear weapons development program for Venezuela.
Mascheroni stated that the information he was providing was worth millions of dollars, and that his fee for producing the document was $793,000, the indictment alleges.
Earlier in the investigation, Mascheroni allegedly asked the FBI agent about obtaining Venezuelan citizenship.
He told the undercover agent he should be addressed as “Luke,” and that he would set up an e-mail account solely to communicate with the undercover agent, according to the indictment.
Mascheroni used the account to communicate with the agent and to arrange for deliveries of materials at the post office box used as a dead-drop location.
If convicted, the couple face up to life in prison.
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Comments (59)
Ruler4You
Posted on September 18, 2010 at 1:34pmThe worst ‘punishment’ you could give them would be to confiscate their belongings and send them to Venezuela. Home sweet socialist home.
Report Post »Andylit
Posted on September 18, 2010 at 1:22pmI see a problem here with the story. It is incomplete. Very incomplete. Other media is reporting that the male has a beef with the lab over his allegations that his pet project(s) were passed over in favor of others, and that he was retaliated against by the lab when he took issue with this alleged treatment. Other media also offers much more depth in details from the arrest warrant and other documents. One need look no farther than Fox News to find nearly double the content shown here.
The problem is credibility. I stopped by for a look because Glen is claiming that this site offers the whole truth. Does this alleged information make the story stronger, weaker? I have no idea, but, the information is missing. I don’t like that one bit, not from a site that purports to allow me to make my decisions based on full and accurate information.
Is the information accurate or true? Who knows? Is it pertinent to the story? Absolutely. Whoever is running this show had better get their act together. If this story is representative of general content here, this site will fail in its stated purpose.
Report Post »GOTT-EM-MAUSER
Posted on September 18, 2010 at 2:48pmYou forgot to add the “RACIST” thang here Andy. This guy is obviously of Hispanic Descent, and all those racist beaner hating FBI Agents went after him cause they knew George Bush wanted them to. I‘ll bet that Glen Beck probably was the one that gave them this guy’s name and a tip on what they could frame him for. Sara Palin actually wrote the document and it was her e-mail account that was used to communicate. Yeah, just another case of these White Devils holding the oppressed minority folks down, not approving their projects. He was ENTITLED to sell some State Secrets, after the way he was treated!!!
Andylit
Posted on September 18, 2010 at 3:26pmHey Mauser,
Learn to read instead of just seeing what you want to see. My criticism is of the editor. The story is missing pertinent facts reported elsewhere.
Glen promised (repeatedly on his radio show) that I could get ALL the facts about stories reported here. That promise was explicit and was intended to offer you and I the information required to make reasoned, intelligent decisions.
Facts have been deleted from the reports on this story. Those facts speak to the motive of the guy and his wife. What seemed a simple case of a socialista now becomes a case of revenge as well, or perhaps even instead.
Regardless of motive, I think they need to join the Rosenbergs if convicted, but that was NOT my point. My criticism is in how this was presented here. It bodes very poorly for this site if people get the feeling that they will need to search elsewhere to determine what The Blaze editors CHOOSE to remove from the story.
I get that kind of behavior on lefty sites. I really don’t need to get here as well.
Report Post »Waiting4George
Posted on September 18, 2010 at 1:12pmJudge Roy Bean, where art thou?
Report Post »tatankachief
Posted on September 18, 2010 at 12:47pmI reload .45 acp for about 20 cents a round, but for special occasions such as this …….. they’re on the house.
Report Post »MikeinIdaho
Posted on September 18, 2010 at 12:30pmI read that headline and figured Obama and his lovely bridezilla finally got caught! Oh well, I can dream!
Report Post »sccm52
Posted on September 18, 2010 at 10:59amAgain, thank you FBI for doing a good job! I knew Obama was behine this selling of a nuclear weapon!!!
Report Post »snickersmom
Posted on September 18, 2010 at 9:15amWell maybe if they‘re convicted they can end up in California’s 9th Circuit Court of Appeals and be let off
Report Post »based on their First Amendment Rights. I think sharing nuclear secrets with other countries clearly falls under the category of Freedom of Speech!
samgin
Posted on September 18, 2010 at 9:10amI say clean up Los Alamos, how about policing who works there, seems that there have been to many incidents like this over the years. If you want to be trusted to have top secret information that effects the security of our nation, then you should be of impecable character, and shouldnt mind if your life is under scrutiny. My vote is to behead them, and save the tax payers some money.
Report Post »natstew
Posted on September 18, 2010 at 8:50amThanks to the last Democrap in the White House the dirty rotten red commie Chinese have nuclear weapons aimed at us. This one is turning us into a turd world country.
The Democrat Party is proof that a very large number of Americans are just plain stupid!
Who was it that said, “Beware of a large group of stupid people”?
Report Post »Keyser Soze
Posted on September 18, 2010 at 8:48amObama let Russian spies go home very fast,this is Venezuela,a simple beer summit in the garden should fix this misunderstanding.
Report Post »RAWR
Posted on September 18, 2010 at 4:10amRosenthals part deux.
Report Post »IndianaUSA
Posted on September 18, 2010 at 1:12amThat’s all Hugo needs is a nuclear weapon. Hang the bastards.
Report Post »The Bees
Posted on September 17, 2010 at 11:25pmWhere in God name are all the Jack_sses coming from.
Did some start a Jack_ss cloning farm?
Report Post »WISEPENNY
Posted on September 17, 2010 at 10:40pmThe couple in custody are claiming, vehemently, that the documents were completely de-classified material they were selling. They claim that no crime has been committed except trying to defraud the Venezuelan spies. I really hope that the FBI has not regressed to that level of buffoonery. I am not insinuating that either, Mr. FBI Guys, it was on the national news tonight. But, I will point out that the documents siezed better damn well turn out to be classified, because if they are declassified, it’s going to take your mamas alot of Tide to scrub the egg yolk off those black ties! Nawwww. It couldn’t be that totally absurd, could it? I really hope NOT. Dear GOD, I hope not….
Report Post »BetterDays
Posted on September 17, 2010 at 9:29pmthis is treason, which is why the Obamanation has just decieded to give them both the medal of socialist honor!
Report Post »sconge
Posted on September 17, 2010 at 8:38pmThere’s a czar position in the future for these freaks.
Report Post »Red Neckerson
Posted on September 17, 2010 at 8:45pmWhat in the czarnation is a czar anyway?
Report Post »broker0101
Posted on September 17, 2010 at 9:14pmA Czar is an end-run around the Constitution. It is a cabinet-level Presidential appointee that isn’t required to undergo Senate confirmation. Just another in a long line of unconstitutional tools employed by this criminal administration.
Report Post »MrButcher
Posted on September 17, 2010 at 8:11pmtreason is a concept that seems to have been done away with…why is that? globalists?
Report Post »Smith357
Posted on September 17, 2010 at 8:04pmIf they are found guilty in a court of law I will volunteer to serve on the firing squad.
Report Post »Beckofile
Posted on September 17, 2010 at 7:35pmWho let the Clinton’s into Los Alamos?
Report Post »Red Neckerson
Posted on September 17, 2010 at 7:39pmSandy Berger.
Report Post »Weetsie
Posted on September 17, 2010 at 7:34pmWow, Dude has major brass ones!
Report Post »egosumverum
Posted on September 17, 2010 at 7:32pmIf convicted, they should be put to death. When are we going to get serious about this stuff?
Report Post »drattastic
Posted on September 17, 2010 at 7:51pmI volunteer for the firing squad ,knot maker ,stone collector ,ax sharpener….anything ,I’m available
Report Post »plunderpower
Posted on September 17, 2010 at 7:54pmThey can’t put them in Leavenworth. It‘s full of Obama’s political prisoners…namely soldiers that politically incorrectly shot Jihadists.
Report Post »broker0101
Posted on September 17, 2010 at 8:01pmI volunteer for the firing squad as well, under one condition. I want a written guarantee that my gun would NOT house the blank. I just couldn’t live with that much uncertainty for the rest of my life.
Report Post »Red Blooded
Posted on September 18, 2010 at 1:56amDrat, you are crackin me up…lol
Report Post »Beckofile
Posted on September 17, 2010 at 7:30pmWill obama pardon the husband/wife team—CLINTON”S? Thought they already spilled the secrets to china?
Report Post »Red Neckerson
Posted on September 17, 2010 at 7:38pmNo your wrong, they sold the nuclear secrets to China. So it is what is, that just makes Bill a salesman, depending what your definition of is is of course.
Report Post »plunderpower
Posted on September 17, 2010 at 7:47pmto redneckerson: Clinton did it to bribe them into buying more of our debt. That’s how he balanced the budget and claimed he had a surplus.
Report Post »REVEL
Posted on September 17, 2010 at 9:28pmWhen we get our country back, we can send a stronger message to these greedy people in society. They obviously did it for the money. How did that work out for ya’? Morals and Principles lacking here.
Report Post »broker0101
Posted on September 17, 2010 at 7:29pmI am not being a sarcastic smartass in the least when I say, I’m amazed that this administration has kept any nuclear secrets from Venezuela.
Report Post »drattastic
Posted on September 17, 2010 at 7:48pmor anyone else for that matter
Report Post »Red Neckerson
Posted on September 17, 2010 at 7:29pmSounds like it is time for obama to have another beer summit and close this case. Nothing to worry about folks Amy Carter is no longer worried about nuclear proliferation.
Report Post »drattastic
Posted on September 17, 2010 at 7:39pmgreat name RED ,what a relief ,if The ONE is breaking out the beer and Amy is comfortable then I’ll stop digging my bomb shelter.
Report Post »drattastic
Posted on September 17, 2010 at 7:28pmThey both deserve the rope or firing squad.I’m sure the ACLU is rushing to their defense as I write this ,they too need the rope.
Report Post »broker0101
Posted on September 17, 2010 at 7:36pmDo you honestly believe, in this political “climate”, that anyone would EVER be put to death for treason? Really?????
Report Post »drattastic
Posted on September 17, 2010 at 7:40pmNo, but I can dream
Report Post »broker0101
Posted on September 17, 2010 at 7:43pmMore likely, sadly, is an unmarked, State Department G550 escort to Caracas.
Report Post »plunderpower
Posted on September 17, 2010 at 7:43pmObama will pardon them and give them a free ticket to Venezuela. Chavez will offer Obama big bucks in exchange pledging this couple will never do any harm to the U.S.
Report Post »drattastic
Posted on September 17, 2010 at 7:45pmBroker with our current “political climate” these two traitors will probably get a medal and a big fat check from the tax payers ,maybe they even be honored by the Noble
Report Post »broker0101
Posted on September 17, 2010 at 7:47pmHey, DRAT and PLUNDER, great minds think alike….and so do ours.
Report Post »The_Truth
Posted on September 17, 2010 at 7:59pmCan’t you see arguing their guilt means we are racist, Venezuelenophobes
Report Post »msnbciscomedy
Posted on September 17, 2010 at 8:33pmLook, you guys can bash this couple all you want….They will save the taxpayers countless dollars. Now obama wont have to use his $1000 stationary to send the nuke secrets himself.
Report Post »GlennBeckIsADemagogue
Posted on September 17, 2010 at 9:02pmIf the charges are right, life imprisonment is not sufficient. Capital punishment seems more appropriate if convicted.
Report Post »Cemoto78
Posted on September 18, 2010 at 2:41amLos Alamos has a history of lax security, overspending and fraudulent practices, and nothing ever seems to change. What is happening to our country? This will get the usual gloss over in the media and then they will focus on something really big like what kind of light bulbs I have to use, or the salt content in my food, and God forbid if I smoke a cigarette. I think we have a priority problem.
Report Post »Colonial Revolutionary
Posted on September 18, 2010 at 10:06amWow Dimwitted Gogue actually said something intelligent. Must be off his meds.
Report Post »STUPED WINMILL
Posted on September 19, 2010 at 2:06amThe ACLU is as you know the AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION! How much more American can you get than that.
Then again I’m just a Stupid Windmill
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