Philadelphia spy case ends in prison sentence for former defense contractor

Spy stories in fact and fiction generally take place in exotic locales like Hong Kong or Berlin. But a spy story ended right here in Philadelphia on September 15th with the sentencing of a former defense contractor for attempted espionage. 

David Metcalf, the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, announced that John Murray Rowe Jr., 67, of Lead, South Dakota, was sentenced to 126 months in prison, three years’ supervised release, and a $25,000 fine by United States District Judge John M. Gallagher for attempted espionage.

Rowe pleaded guilty last April to one count of attempted delivery of national defense information to a foreign government, and three counts of willful communication of national defense information.

According to court documents, Rowe was employed for nearly 40 years as a test engineer for multiple defense contractors. In connection with his employment, Rowe held various national security clearances from SECRET to TOP SECRET/SCI (Sensitive Compartmented Information) and worked on matters relating to U.S. Air Force electronic warfare technology, among other things. After several security violations and concerning inquiries and statements about Russia and sensitive information, Rowe was identified as a potential insider threat and terminated from employment.

Before I retired from the Defense Department to become a full-time writer, I was the civilian administrative officer of a Defense Department command in Philadelphia that oversaw defense contractors of the type that employed Rowe.

The Philadelphia area has many companies that are defense contractors. These companies, from major corporations to mom and pop shops, manufacture numerous classified items for the U.S. military, ranging from cruise missiles to special parachutes for Navy SEALs and other special operators.

As the administrative officer, I oversaw all security programs for the command, and I served as an investigating officer. I investigated security violations, various crimes and cases of fraud, waste and mismanagement. In addition to military and civilian employees stationed in our offices across the tri-state area, the command also had many quality assurance specialists stationed at the contractor’s plants and offices. The contractors weren’t paid by the Defense Department until the quality assurance specialists signed off that the goods and services met the goals of their contract. 

For more than 21 years, I often ventured out to our assigned defense contractors and met with our quality assurance specialists as well as the contractor’s executives and their security people, many of whom were former military and law enforcement members. I also met with special agents from the Defense Security Service (now called the Defense Counterintelligence and Security agency). Maintaining security of military classified and sensitive information was a condition of the contract with the companies. 

Foreign spies often targeted defense contractors, I was often told at periodic briefings in Washington D.C. that were conducted by the FBI, the CIA, the Defense Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency. 

Defense contractors, like federal agencies, were always on the lookout for the insider threat from trusted employees who become spies for a foreign power. I recall in particular one case in our area in which an employee of a major defense contractor that we oversaw was uncovered as a spy for the Communist Chinese. 

Trusted employees who are cleared for classified and sensitive military information can become spies for reasons that the FBI calls MICE: Money, Ideology, Compromise and Ego.

Which brings me to Rowe. 

In March 2020, Rowe thought he was meeting a Russian agent. In fact, he was meeting an undercover FBI agent. Rowe told the undercover agent that he was not loyal to the United States and that he was interested in helping Russia. During this meeting, the Justice Department revealed that Rowe disclosed national defense information classified as SECRET that concerned specific operating details of the electronic countermeasure systems used by U.S. military fighter jets, among other things.

According to the Justice Department, over the course of the next eight months, Rowe exchanged more than 300 emails with the FBI agent he believed to be a Russian agent. The emails confirmed his willingness to work for the Russian government and discussed his knowledge of classified information relating to U.S. national security. 

In one email, Rowe explained, “If I can’t get a job in the United States, then I’ll go work for the other team.”

In another email, Rowe disclosed classified national defense information concerning the U.S. Air Force. In September 2020, Rowe had a second in-person meeting with the undercover FBI agent. During this meeting, Rowe again disclosed classified national defense information.

Rowe was arrested on December 15, 2021, and was detained pending a trial. During his pretrial detention, Rowe again disclosed the same classified national defense information concerning the U.S. Air Force to relatives and an associate during recorded prison calls.

“Despite his knowledge, training, experience, and decades of work as a military contractor, Rowe chose to betray the trust placed in him by his country,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “His repeated, willful efforts to harm the U.S. by divulging sensitive defense information to an adversary are inexcusable. My office and our partners will continue to hold fully accountable anyone seeking to compromise the national security of the United States.”

Wayne A. Jacobs, the Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Field Office, also weighed in. “Mr. Rowe’s actions were not only dangerous but also reckless, as he sought to provide sensitive defense information to a foreign adversary. This sentencing serves as a powerful reminder of the FBI’s mission to protect the American people. In collaboration with our law enforcement partners, the FBI remains steadfast in its commitment to safeguarding our nation’s security and holding those who threaten it accountable.”

Paul Davis, a Philadelphia writer and frequent contributor to Broad + Liberty, also contributes to Counterterrorism magazine and writes their online Threatcon column. His work has also appeared in the Washington Times, the Philadelphia Inquirer and Philadelphia Weekly. He can be reached at pauldavisoncrime.com