An Army soldier has been arrested on suspicion of selling classified information about the capabilities of the U.S. military, Justice Department officials announced Thursday.
Corbein Schultz, who is also a sergeant intelligence analyst, was charged with six crimes, including conspiracy to obtain and disclose military defense information and bribery of public officials. Shortly after the indictment was announced Thursday, the 24-year-old man was arrested in Fort Campbell, which straddles the Tennessee-Kentucky border.
“The men and women of our military give their lives to maintain our national security,” Henry C. Leventis, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee, told reporters. “Our laws protecting national defense information are critical to that mission and must be enforced. The illegal dissemination of national defense information endangers our country, our fellow citizens, our service members, and our allies. ”
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The indictment alleges that Schultz, who was in possession of top secret classified information, conspired with a person identified only as “Conspirator A” to disclose various documents, photographs and other national defense materials beginning in June 2022. claims to have done so. This was not only because of his security clearance, but also because he was tasked with collecting classified information for the U.S. military.
Some of the information Schultz allegedly provided to individuals included research on high-mobility artillery rocket systems, hypersonic equipment, future developments in the U.S. military, and research on military exercises and operations in major countries such as China. contained information about.
According to a summary of the indictment, Mr. Schultz initially sought documents detailing the lessons to be learned from the war between Russia and Ukraine and how they could be applied to how the United States could assist in the event of an attack on Taiwan. It is said that he was Schultz was paid $200 for the information, which prompted his co-conspirator A to seek a “long-term partnership.”
Henry C. Leventis, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee (left), FBI Special Agent Douglas DePodesta (center), and U.S. Army Special Agent Roy Cochran, senior counterintelligence officer (right), speak at a press conference with investigators. ), March 7, 2024. , located in Nashville, Tennessee. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Co-conspirator A, described in the indictment as a foreigner purporting to reside in Hong Kong, later said Schultz could make more money if he handed over “internal-only” material instead of unclassified documents. suggested.
Schultz received at least 14 payments totaling $42,000.
“Defendant and his co-conspirators also discussed having other members of the U.S. military participate in the conspiracy and provide additional national defense information in order to cover up their illegal activities,” Leventis said.
Army spokeswoman Lt. Col. Ruth Castro said in a statement that Schultz has been in the Army since November 2018 and is originally from Wills Point, Texas.
Fort Campbell spokesman Lt. Col. Tony Hoeffler said Schultz was previously assigned to Fort Cavazos, Texas, and was once deployed to Eastern Europe.
The case is the latest in a series of federal prosecutions against current or former military members accused of illegally divulging sensitive government secrets.
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For example, in April 2023, Jack Teixeira of the Massachusetts Air National Guard was charged with leaking classified military documents about Russia’s war in Ukraine on Discord, a social media platform popular with people who play online games. . He pleaded guilty Monday in an agreement with prosecutors that called for at least 11 years in prison.
In August, two U.S. Navy sailors were indicted on charges of providing China with classified military information, including details of wartime exercises, naval operations, and sensitive technical data.
And most recently, the Justice Department this week announced charges against a civilian Air Force employee and a retired Army lieutenant colonel for allegedly sharing classified information about the war with Ukraine on a foreign dating site.
