A civilian engineer with the Navy was sentenced to 11 years in prison for attempting to sell schematics for a new nuclear aircraft carrier to a federal agent posing as a foreign spy.
Mostafa Ahmed Awwad, 36, of Yorktown, Virginia, pleaded guilty in June to attempted espionage and was sentenced on Oct. 15 to 132 months in prison.
According to court documents, Awwad told the undercover agent he could use his position with the Navy to get the blueprints for the new USS Gerald R. Ford nuclear “supercarrier,” as well as other sensitive information.
During the October meeting, Awwad also asked for $1,500 for a pinhole camera in order to photograph construction at the shipyard and offered headshots for the agent to make fake Egyptian passports so Awwad could travel outside the U.S. without notice.
The exchange was orchestrated through a dead drop site on a secluded hiking trail, according to investigators, who hid $3,000 in a concealed hole in the ground. Awwad retrieved the money and left behind an external hard drive and two passport photos.
The envelope was empty and Awwad was arrested shortly thereafter.
“The mission of [Naval Criminal Investigative Service] includes protecting sailors and secrets,” said Tim Quick, NCIS special agent in charge. “Awwad endangered both; for personal gain and to help strengthen another nation’s military. It’s gratifying that NCIS was a part of bringing him to justice.”
