- Sgt Korbein Schultz was arrested in Kentucky after being charged with selling sensitive military secrets to a contact in China.
- Schultz received $42,000 (£33,000) in exchange for providing dozens of sensitive security records.
- The criminal conspiracy began in June 2022 and persisted until Schultz's arrest.
Authorities have charged Sgt Schultz with conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defense information, exporting technical data related to defense articles without a license, conspiracy to export defense articles without a license, and bribery of a public official. It remains unclear whether he has retained an attorney who can provide comments on the charges against him.
"The conduct alleged in today's indictment represents a grave betrayal of the oath sworn to defend our country," said Larissa Knapp of the FBI's National Security Branch.
"Instead of safeguarding national defense information, the defendant conspired with a foreign national to sell it, potentially endangering our national security."
Officials say the defendant provided the confidential documents to a contact whom he believed to be residing in Hong Kong. Allegedly, some of the information he provided included details on hypersonic equipment, studies concerning the future development of US military forces, and a document regarding China's military preparedness.
The charging documents from the Justice Department do not implicate the Chinese government in the scheme or identify the contact who paid him. According to the indictment, he received instructions to transmit "original and exclusive documents" to his contact.
Sgt Schultz sent messages indicating his desire to be like 'Jason Bourne,' the fictional spy character, and his wish to regain possession of his other BMW after being promised more money from his handler, according to the indictment.
Earlier this week, investigators arrested a retired US Army colonel in Nebraska, accusing him of sending classified information to a person through a foreign dating website. Just hours after the retired colonel's arrest, a US airman from the Massachusetts Air National Guard pleaded guilty to six counts of illegally retaining and transmitting national defense information.
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