PHILADELPHIA, PA — In a sobering reminder of the perils facing national security, John Murray Rowe, Jr., a 65-year-old from Lead, South Dakota, admitted guilt before U.S. District Judge John Gallagher on charges of attempting to provide and willfully communicating sensitive national defense information to a foreign government. The announcement came Tuesday from Jacqueline C. Romero, the United States Attorney.
Rowe, whose career spanned nearly four decades as a test engineer with various defense contractors, had access to some of the nation’s most closely guarded secrets, holding clearances up to TOP SECRET//SCI (Sensitive Compartmented Information). His work primarily focused on electronic warfare technologies employed by the U.S. Air Force.
The case against Rowe began to solidify after a series of security violations and an overtly keen interest in Russia led to his dismissal and subsequent identification as a potential insider threat. In March of 2020, Rowe engaged with an undercover FBI agent, whom he believed to be a representative of the Russian government. During their interactions, Rowe divulged SECRET material related to the operational capabilities of U.S. military fighter jet countermeasure systems, among other classified information.
Further damning evidence came from over 300 emails exchanged between Rowe and the supposed Russian agent, where he expressed a readiness to align himself with Russian interests, citing frustrations with his employment prospects in the United States. “If I can’t get a job here then I’ll go work for the other team,” Rowe stated in one of the correspondences. Another email saw him leaking classified details pertinent to the U.S. Air Force.
Rowe’s commitment to espionage was further demonstrated during a second face-to-face meeting with the undercover agent in September 2020, where he once again shared classified national defense information.
Arrested on December 15, 2021, Rowe’s attempts at subterfuge did not cease with his detention. While awaiting trial, recorded phone calls captured him making unauthorized disclosures of classified information to his brother, son, and realtor.
U.S. Attorney Romero condemned Rowe’s actions, emphasizing the gravity of safeguarding sensitive defense information for the country’s security. “It’s abhorrent that Rowe would try to betray his own country for the benefit of a foreign adversary,” she remarked.
With a sentencing hearing scheduled for August 22, 2024, Rowe faces the prospect of life imprisonment. The investigation, spearheaded by the FBI’s Philadelphia Field Office, showcased inter-agency cooperation, including efforts by the Lead Police Department, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Dakota, the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations, and the FBI’s Minneapolis and Rapid City offices.
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