(NewsNation) — A former U.S. Army sergeant has been arrested for allegedly trying to pass national defense information to the People’s Republic of China.
Joseph Daniel Schmidt, 29, was last stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington and was arrested in San Francisco after returning to the U.S. on a flight from Hong Kong.
Schmidt was an active-duty soldier from January 2015 to January 2020 and was assigned to the 109th Military Intelligence Batallion, an assignment that gave him access to secret and top-secret information.
Schmidt allegedly reached out to the Chinese Consulate in Turkey and Chinese security services over email after his separation from the military, offering information about national defense information.
“Members of our military take a sworn oath to defend our country and the Constitution. In that context the alleged actions of this former military member are shocking – not only attempting to provide national defense information, but also information that would assist a foreign adversary to gain access to Department of Defense secure computer networks,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman for the Western District of Washington. “I commend the FBI for their diligent work to end his alleged efforts to betray our country.”
Attempting to deliver national defense information and the unlawful retention of national defense information are both punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
