A scientist who has worked for NASA, the Department of Energy and the Department of Defense, at times holding security clearances as high as top secret, has been charged with attempted espionage. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.

In a release today, the Department of Justice alleges that Stewart David Nozette, 52, of Chevy Chase, Md., offered defense secrets to an undercover FBI agent that he believed was an Israeli spy, in exchange for cash. Nozette was arrested today and will appear in U.S. District Court tomorrow.

According to the affidavit, Nozette allegedly left information about U.S. satellites and "major elements of defense strategy" for the undercover agent in a Post Office box, in exchange for $11,000. The sting occurred in September and early October.

Through his nonprofit corporation, the Alliance for Competitive Technology, Nozette performed research and development for the federal government. He did some of his work at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.

Previously, he worked directly for the Department of Energy, where his special clearance gave him "access to information specifically relating to atomic or nuclear-related materials," according to the affidavit.

All in all, he held clearances as high as top secret from 1989 to 2006.