A U.S. Army sergeant and intelligence analyst has pleaded guilty to selling national defense secrets to China for a total of $42,000.
Corbin Schultz is A Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI) Army security clearance, which was allegedly used to obtain and transmit defense information to China.
Schultz was charged earlier this year by a federal grand jury indictment with conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defense information, unauthorized export of technical data relating to defense articles, conspiracy to commit the unauthorized export of defense articles, and bribery of a public official.
Navy warship production at 25-year low, lags China: report
“The defendants exploited their access to restricted government systems to sell classified military information to individuals they knew to be foreign nationals,” Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division said in a statement.
“This defendant ruthlessly endangered our national security by conspiring to transmit defense information to individuals living outside the United States in an attempt to exploit the trust the military places in him for financial gain. Today’s guilty plea serves as a stark reminder that those who break their oaths for personal gain will be identified and brought to justice.”
An Army intelligence officer pleaded guilty to all charges that he accepted a total of $42,000 from China in exchange for national defense secrets. (Department of Defense)
According to the indictment and plea agreement, Schultz sold personal information, including classified information and documents, to individuals in Hong Kong who he believed had contact with the Chinese government.
The classified documents shared with the suspected conspirators included information about HH-60 helicopters, F-22A fighter jets and HIMARS rockets, as well as received intelligence on Chinese military preparedness.
Putin under pressure as Ukraine invasion continues, could give Kiev bargaining chip in peace talks: experts
“The defendant has pleaded guilty in a case that sends a strong message to any American military member who seeks to betray their country,” said Robert Wells, Deputy Director of the FBI’s National Security Division. “America is governed by the rule of law, and when those in positions of trust betray that trust, the FBI and our partners will hold them accountable.”
“Governments like China actively target our service members and national security information, and we will do everything in our power to ensure that information is protected from hostile foreign governments.”
Participants wave Chinese flags during an event celebrating the 27th anniversary of Hong Kong’s handover on board the Star Ferry in Hong Kong, China, Monday, July 1, 2024. (Paul Yen/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
If sentenced to the maximum on all counts, Schultz faces 65 years in prison. A federal district court judge will set Schultz’s sentence on January 23, 2025.
The case is being prosecuted by three attorneys: Attorneys Adam Barry and Christopher Cook of the National Security Agency’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Josh Kurtzman for the Middle District of Tennessee.
Click here to get the FOX News app
The U.S. Army Counterintelligence Command and the FBI are investigating the incident.
