A San Diego man pretending to be a U.S. Treasury employee with Top Secret security clearance contacted the Russian Embassy last August with an offer to sell “classified information regarding sanctions” imposed by Washington, later explaining that he “respected Vladamir [sic] Putin and his nationalist view as opposed to President Biden’s globalist view,” according to federal court filings unsealed Monday. Steven Struhar surrendered to authorities on Sept. 23, and pleaded guilty the same day to making false statements and bank fraud. In his plea agreement, he admitted to meeting with a person “he believed was an emissary of the Russian Government,” but then ghosting them. Prosecutors say Struhar, who didn’t work for Treasury and didn’t have a clearance, never had access to classified information. It is unclear who alerted the feds. The bank fraud charge stems from two counterfeit checks Struhar confessed to depositing for nearly $90,000. It’s also unclear if the checks had anything to do with the Russia deal. Struhar, who faces maximum of 35 years in prison, is out on $25,000 bail pending sentencing, which is set for Jan. 3. In an email to The Daily Beast, Struhar’s lawyer, Shaun Sullivan, declined to comment on the charges.
