FBI trapped senior nuke arms dealers

Spouses Pedro Leonardo Mascheroni, 75-year-old scientist and Marjorie Roxby Mascheroni, 67 years old, were recently arrested by the operatives of the Federal Bureau of Investigation for allegedly conspiring to develop nuclear weapons for Venezuela. The FBI in a sting operation was able to uncover certain highly classified secret documents that are kept by these two senior citizens while they were still both working at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. 

The senior couple faces 22 counts of indictment at the federal court in Albuquerque, N.M. for the alleged communication of classified nuclear weapons data to a person whom they believe to be a foreign agent. An FBI undercover operative posing as a Venezuelan agent negotiated with Pedro Mascheroni who allegedly offered to help Venezuela to develop a nuclear bomb within 10 years. Macheroni while convincing the undercover agent promised that under his program, Venezuela will be able to use a secret, nuclear reactor underground to produce and enrich plutonium as well as an open and aboveground reactor for nuclear energy production.

The criminal charges stated that in July 2008, Mascheroni was given a 12-point questionnaire for him to answer which was purportedly coming from a Venezuelan military and scientific personnel. Consequently after four months, Mascheroni delivered a disk containing 132-page coded document containing a classified restricted data about nuclear weapons. 

It was believed written by Mascheroni and edited by his wife, bearing a title "A Deterrence Program for Venezuela". This document contains the nuclear weapons development program for Venezuela designed by Mascheroni. The FBI agent testified that Mascheroni demanded a fee of $793,000 for producing the document and that the information contained is valued millions of dollars. Mascheroni also inquired about obtaining citizenship in Venezuela.

Likewise, the scientist is also using a codename, "Luke" as he suggested to the undercover agent to address him every time they meet. He also set up an email account for their discreet means of communication and used the post office boxes as dead drop location for the delivery of materials.

When convicted, the couple will face life imprisonment.