US News
US sailor faces espionage charges
By DPA
Aug 9, 2006, 19:00 GMT

Washington - A US sailor who deserted the Navy last year has been charged with espionage and faces a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted, the US military said Wednesday.

Ariel Weinmann, 21, was arrested while trying to re-enter the United States in March from Mexico when border agents noticed he had been listed as a deserter, US Fleet Forces Command said. He has remained in custody.

Weinmann, who served as a fire-control technician aboard the submarine USS Albuquerque, is accused of trying to pass sensitive information about the attack sub to an agent for a unspecified foreign government. CNN reported that the intended recipient was Russia.

Military investigators allege that Weinmann passed secret information to foreign agents in March 2005 in Manama, Bahrain, in October 2005 in Vienna, and in March in Mexico City before his arrest. He deserted the Navy in July 2005.