US Army intelligence analyst faces charges for selling classified military information to China
Sgt Korbein Schultz
A US Army analyst has been arrested for allegedly selling sensitive military information to China. Sgt Korbein Schultz, a member of the US Army, was arrested at Fort Campbell in Kentucky on Thursday (March 7) and was charged with divulging confidential military secrets to an individual in China.
According to report in BBC, the FBI and US Army counterintelligence conducted an inquiry leading to Schultz's arrest, accusing him of accepting $42,000 (£33,000) in exchange for numerous sensitive security documents. The criminal conspiracy is reported to have initiated in June 2022 and persisted until his arrest.
Sgt Schultz faces charges including conspiracy to acquire and disclose national defense information, exporting technical data related to defense articles without proper authorisation, conspiracy to export defense articles without a license and bribery of a public official.
The accused has not yet clarified whether he has retained legal representation to address the charges.
Larissa Knapp of the FBI's National Security Branch condemned the alleged actions, describing them as a severe betrayal of the oath to defend the country. Instead of safeguarding national defense information, Schultz is accused of conspiring with a foreign national, potentially compromising national security.
Confidential documents were reportedly shared with an individual believed to be residing in Hong Kong, including information on hypersonic equipment, studies on the future development of US military forces, and details on China's military readiness.
The indictment does not explicitly implicate the Chinese government or disclose the identity of the contact who provided payment.
Schultz is accused of transmitting "original and exclusive documents" as instructed, covering intelligence related to Russia's conflict in Ukraine, the operability of sensitive US military systems, and contingency plans for Taiwan in case of an attack.
Messages from Schultz, including a reference to wanting to be like "Jason Bourne," and expressing eagerness for additional funds from his handler, were highlighted in the indictment.
This incident follows the recent arrest of a retired US Army colonel in Nebraska for allegedly sharing classified information through a foreign dating website.
Additionally, a US airman from the Massachusetts Air National Guard pleaded guilty to charges of illegally retaining and transmitting national defense information earlier this week.
(With inputs from agencies)