CHARLESTON — Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of West Virginia Jarod Douglas was presented an award for his work on the peanut butter espionage case.
U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland announced the recipients of the 70th and 71st Attorney General’s Awards last month, recognizing the outstanding contributions of Justice Department employees and others to the enforcement of our nation’s laws.
Chosen from a pool of over 800 nominees spanning 2022 and 2023, the recipients have demonstrated exceptional dedication and leadership, significantly aiding the Justice Department in its mission to serve the American people.
Garland commended each recipient, acknowledging their distinguished service which has facilitated the Department's progress in safeguarding communities nationwide.
Douglas was honored with the Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service for his remarkable efforts in investigating threats to critical U.S. Navy technology, notably in the case of U.S. v. Toebbe et al.
Maryland couple Jonathan and Diana Toebbe were sentenced in November 2022 following their guilty plea to conspiracy charges related to sharing and attempting to sell restricted data concerning nuclear-powered warships in a peanut butter sandwich. Jonathan Toebbe, a 44-year-old civilian nuclear engineer with a top-secret security clearance, was sentenced in West Virginia to more than 19 years in prison. Diane Toebbe, a 46-year-old private school teacher, was sentenced to more than 21 years in prison. They had attempted to sell nuclear submarine secrets in peanut butter sandwiches. The sandwiches contained memory cards concealed in other objects, such as chewing gum wrappers.
This was Douglas' second Distinguished Service Award. His father, Kanawha Family Court Judge Jim Douglas, said he is proud of his son's hard work.
"I am extremely proud of him," Jim Douglas said in an interview with The West Virginia Record. "He's the only person from West Virginia that was awarded this award this year."
Jim Douglas said this is the second award his son has received in the last year, as he received an award from the Federal Bureau of Investigation previously.
"To my knowledge, there is nobody in West Virginia who has received these two awards in the same year," Jim Douglas said. "I am just so unbelievably proud of all of his hard work and dedication to his job."
Jim Douglas said all of his children have done well in their professions, as he also has a son who is a physician and a daughter who is a paralegal.
"They are my claim to fame," Jim Douglas said. "They all are amazing and do amazing things."
Jim Douglas said his son will featured on a CBS TV show, "FBI True" on Feb. 28 for his part in the case.
"A&E also did something on it last year that he was on," Jim Douglas said. "But the show on CBS will be on Feb. 28 at 10 p.m."
Joining Douglas in receiving the Distinguished Award are Trial Attorneys Matthew J. McKenzie and S. Derek Shugert from the National Security Division; Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Leiber Smolar for the Western District of Pennsylvania; FBI Special Agents Jason Serone, Justin Van Tromp, and Peter L. Olinits; FBI Supervisory Special Agent Andrew Bass Gray; FBI Unit Chief Andrew Thomas Mitchell; Special Agent John C. Nocella of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service; FBI Intelligence Analyst Brent Cronce; FBI Staff Operations Specialist Vicky Mineard; FBI Supervisory Special Agent David Brassini; FBI Supervisory Investigative Specialist Keith Smith; and FBI Intelligence Analyst Sean Cottington.
Last fall Jarod Douglas received a previous prestigious national award in recognition of his exemplary investigations and dedicated community service. He got one of only two awards bestowed upon the East Coast, marking a historic milestone as the first-ever recipient from the West Virginia U.S. Attorney's office.
A graduate of the West Virginia University College of Law in 2009, Jarod Douglas distinguished himself as a member of the Moot Court Board. He earned his undergraduate degree from WVU, where he also contributed as a member of the Mountaineer football team. Additionally, Jarod Douglas is an alumnus of Clay County High School.