morton sobell (born april 11, 1917 in new york city) is an american former engineer with general electric and reeves electronics. he worked on military and government contracts. he was found guilty of spying for the soviets as a part of a ring that included julius rosenberg and others. sobell was tried and convicted of espionage in 1951 and sentenced to 30 years in prison. he was released in 1969 after spending 17 years and 9 months in prison.