A soldier and intelligence analyst from the U.S. Army has been accused of selling national defense information to China, marking yet another case of military personnel being involved in the unauthorized sharing of classified U.S. military intelligence.
Korbein Schultz, who was arrested on Thursday at Fort Campbell, Tenn., has been charged in a six-count indictment by a federal grand jury. The charges stem from allegations that Schultz sold U.S. military information to an individual residing in China over a period of several years. It is reported that Schultz received a total payment of around $42,000 for his actions.
Schultz is scheduled to make his first court appearance on Friday.
“The defendant is charged with entering into a multiyear conspiracy to illegally exploit his access to national defense information for his own financial benefit,” U.S. Attorney Henry Leventis for the Middle District of Tennessee told reporters Thursday during a brief press conference .
“He traded our national defense information for cash.”
Sgt. Korbein Schultz was detained today on charges of conspiracy to gain and leak national security information, exporting technical data connected to military items without a license, conspiracy to export defense articles without a license, and bribery of a public officer. pic.twitter.com/WAPXLLVYeg—Army Counterintelligence Command (ACIC) (@Real_ArmyCI), March 7, 2024
According to the accusation, the conspiracy began in June 2022 and continued until Schultz’s arrest. The information he reportedly sold included manuals for the F22-A fighter jet and the HH-60w helicopter, as well as documentation on intercontinental missiles, hypersonic equipment, and the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, which has proven useful in Ukraine’s defense against Russia.
He is also accused of providing his co-conspirator, who told Schultz that they lived in Hong Kong and worked for a geopolitical consulting firm, with information on the future development of US military forces, studies on major countries such as China, and summaries of military drills, operations, and tactics.
According to the court document, his conspirator, identified as Conspirator A, contacted Schultz, who held a top secret security clearance, in June 2022 and requested documents on what the US military had learned from Russia’s war with Ukraine regarding a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan.
According to prosecutors, Schultz delivered the information to his conspirator in exchange for $200. Schultz allegedly told his conspirator that he wanted to make their relationship long-term.
Conspirator A continued to request additional sensitive military information so that he could pay Schultz more money.
“I hope so!” Schultz is cited in the court documents as having responded to Conspirator A. “I need to get my other BMW back!”
In the autumn of 2022, they discussed recruiting another member of the U.S. military into their conspiracy, according to the indictment.
“The United States Armed Forces are comprised of brave men and women who devote their lives to safeguarding our nation’s security. The enforcement of laws designed to protect national defense information is of utmost importance to their mission,” asserted Leventis.
“Our country, our fellow citizens, members of our military, and our allies are put at risk due to the illegal dissemination of national defense information.”
The recent case involving Schultz highlights another instance of a U.S. military member being accused of sharing national defense information.
David Franklin Slater, a retired U.S. army lieutenant colonel who previously served as a civilian Air Force employee, has been charged on Monday for allegedly sharing classified information regarding Russia’s involvement in a foreign online dating website. The information was shared with an individual who claimed to be a woman from Ukraine.
On that very day, Jack Teixeira, a Massachusetts Air National Guardsman, admitted guilt in leaking highly classified Pentagon documents about the war in Ukraine on the Discord platform.
In August, Jinchao Wei and Wenheng Zhao, who serve in the U.S. Navy, were arrested and charged with illegally sending U.S. military secrets to China. The indictment reveals that Schultz and Conspirator A discussed the arrests, with Conspirator A reminding Schultz about the importance of maintaining strict security measures.
In January, Zhao received a 27-month prison sentence after admitting guilt in October.
