DOJ: Army Intel Analyst Sold Military Secrets to China Contact

A U.S. Army soldier and intelligence analyst spent nearly two years selling sensitive documents to China related to U.S. weapons and missile defense systems, as well as material related to its defense of Taiwan, the Department of Justice (DOJ) revealed Thursday in a six-count federal indictment.

Korbein Schultz was arrested Thursday at Fort Campbell in Kentucky and charged with conspiracy to gather, transmit, or lose defense information; bribery of a public official; conspiracy to unlawfully export defense articles to China; and three counts of unlawful export of defense articles to China, according to the indictment.

Schultz is a sergeant and intelligence analyst assigned to the 506th Infantry Battalion. The indictment said he received approximately 14 payments totaling $42,000 from an unnamed co-conspirator — who told Schultz he lived in Hong Kong and worked for a geopolitical consulting firm based overseas — in exchange for documents, photographs, and other sensitive U.S. military operational security details.

"Today's arrest shows that such a betrayal does not pay — the Department of Justice is committed to identifying and holding accountable those who would break their oath to protect our nation's secrets," Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the DOJ's National Security Division said in a news release.

The indictment, filed in U.S. District Court in Nashville, Tennessee, alleges that beginning in June 2022, Schultz, who had a top-secret security clearance, was asked by the unnamed co-conspirator to provide information related to a variety of U.S. military weapons systems, including classified information, and information related to the U.S.'s potential plans should Taiwan come under military attack.

Some of the information Schultz provided included documents related to the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, hypersonic equipment, studies on the future development of U.S. military forces, studies on major countries such as China, and summaries of military drills and operations.

Money might have been Schultz's motivation. The indictment showed the unnamed co-conspirator told Schultz if a document regarding U.S. Navy exercises in the Philippine Sea contained classified information, Schultz would be paid more money. Schultz responded, "I hope so! I need to get my other BMW back!"

The indictment also alleges that on Aug. 26, 2022, Schultz downloaded approximately seven documents from a U.S. government computer system and told the unnamed co-conspirator, "I will just keep sending you an abundance of information." The next day, he told the co-conspirator that he wished he could be "Jason Bourne."

The indictment alleges Schultz provided three documents that violated the Arms Export Control Act, including Air Force Tactics Techniques and Procedures manuals for the HH-60W helicopter, F22-A fighter aircraft, and intercontinental ballistic missiles.

Schultz's arrest came three days after Massachusetts Air National Guardsman Jack Teixeira pleaded guilty to illegally posting classified military records on an online gaming platform.

Newsmax reached out to the DOJ to determine if Schultz had an attorney who could comment on his behalf. Schultz's first court date reportedly is Friday.