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Ex-Navy Sailor Pleads Guilty to Espionage After Contacting Russians to Offer Up Classified Intel

The sailor was allegedly in contact with Russia’s largest shipbuilding enterprise about sharing classified information.

A former member of the U.S. Navy pleaded guilty to two counts of espionage after taking classified information about nuclear-powered warships in an effort to share the information with Russia. U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Stephen Kellogg III was sentenced to three years for his acts, officials said Friday. Kellogg was a nuclear electrician’s mate with access to classified information relating to the capabilities, operations, and maintenance of the Navy’s nuclear propulsion systems. According to court documents, Kellogg was in contact with Sevmash, Russia’s largest shipbuilding enterprise and only nuclear submarine producer. Authorities learned of the plan after he was arrested for drunken and disorderly conduct at a San Diego Airport. Kellogg admitted in a pre-trial agreement to knowing that if the information he possessed became public, potential adversaries could learn the capabilities and limitations of the United States’ nuclear-powered warships.