WASHINGTON: A leading US scientist who had worked at the White House and NASA could face execution for offering to sell secrets to Israel for $2 million, according to documents filed in federal court.
Stewart David Nozette, 52, is set to appear in court for a hearing on whether he should remain in detention after he was arrested in a sting operation involving an FBI agent posing as an Israeli official.
Nozette, arrested Oct. 18, is charged with two counts of attempted espionage for allegedly trying to sell secrets to Israel, according to court documents filed late Wednesday.
Based on the indictment allegations, “the maximum penalty the defendant faces, if convicted, is death,” said the government filing supporting Nozette’s continued detention pending trial.
In Nozette’s talks with the alleged Israeli agent, the scientist said he wanted “roughly two million dollars as compensation for his espionage.”
Nozette “delivered and communicated this classified information to an individual he believed was an Israeli intelligence officer in exchange for an alias, a foreign passport, and cash payments,” and therefore should remain in detention, the court documents said.
A prominent scientist credited with helping discover water on the moon, Nozette had worked at the US space agency NASA, the Energy Department, and even served on the White House’s National Space Council in 1989 and 1990 under President George H.W. Bush.
