1985: Aerospace engineer Thomas Patrick Cavanagh is sentenced to life imprisonment after being convicted of trying to sell secrets of the stealth bomber to the Soviet Union.
Cavanaugh was arrested at a hotel in Commerce, California, in December 1984, by FBI agents posing as Russian spies. For 25 grand, Cavanagh was preparing to hand over the technology that made the bomber undetectable to most radars.
During his trial, the FBI described Cavanagh, who worked for Northrop, as "debt-ridden," then accused him of being "willing to take $25,000 in cash for technology that cost us billions to develop."
Cavanagh was remorseful and apologized for his actions, which he called "desperate and disgraceful." District Judge Matthew Byrne Jr. agreed, apparently, sentencing Cavanagh to life.
The cloaking technology was later used in both the bomber and fighter versions of the stealth aircraft. The fighter plane saw action several years later during the first Gulf War.
(Source: The Downey Eagle)
This article first appeared on Wired.com May 23, 2007.
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