Office of Public Affairs Former US Army Intelligence Analyst Sentenced for Selling Sensitive Military Information to Individual Tied to Chinese Government United States Department of Justice
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ppArchived NewsppA former US Army intelligence analyst was sentenced today to 84 months in prison for conspiring to collect and transmit national defense information including sensitive nonpublic US military information to an individual he believed was affiliated with the Chinese governmentppKorbein Schultz 25 of Wills Point Texas pleaded guilty in August 2024 to conspiring to collect and transmit national defense information unlawfully exporting controlled information to China and accepting bribes in exchange of sensitive nonpublic US government informationppThis defendant swore an oath to defend the United States instead he betrayed it for a payout and put Americas military and service members at risk said Attorney General Pamela Bondi The Justice Department remains vigilant against Chinas efforts to target our military and will ensure that those who leak military secrets spend years behind barsppThis sentencing is a stark warning to those who betray our country you will pay a steep price for it said FBI Director Kash Patel The Peoples Republic of China is relentless in its efforts to steal our national defense information and service members are a prime target The FBI and our partners will continue to root out espionage and hold those accountable who abandon their obligation to safeguard defense information from hostile foreign governmentsppThose who collaborate with Americas foreign adversaries put our country and those who defend it at grave risk and we will do whatever it takes to hold them accountable for their crimes said Acting US Attorney Robert E McGuire for the Middle District of Tennessee We will proudly stand in support of our men and women in uniform and work diligently to protect them from people like the defendant who would sell them out for a few bucksppProtecting classified information is paramount to our national security and this sentencing reflects the ramifications when there is a breach of that trust said Brigadier General Rhett R Cox Commanding General of the Army Counterintelligence Command This Soldiers actions put Army personnel at risk placing individual gain above personal honor Army Counterintelligence Command in close collaboration with the Department of Justice the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Intelligence Community remains steadfast in our commitment to safeguarding our nations secrets and urges all current and former Army personnel to report any suspicious contact immediatelyppAccording to court documents between May 2022 until his arrest in March 2024 Schultz engaged in an ongoing conspiracy to provide dozens of sensitive US military documents many containing exportcontrolled tactical and technical information directly to a foreign national residing in the Peoples Republic of China Despite clear indications that this individual who is referenced in the Indictment as Conspirator A was likely connected to the Chinese government the defendant continued the relationship in exchange for financial compensation In exchange for approximately 42000 Schultz provided documents and data related to US military capabilities includingppConspirator A first contacted the defendant through a freelance webbased work platform shortly after the defendant received his Top SecretSensitive Compartmented Information TSSCI clearance Masquerading as a client from a geopolitical consulting firm Conspirator A solicited the defendant to produce detailed analyses on US military capabilities and planning particularly in relation to Taiwan and the RussiaUkraine conflictppAs the relationship progressed Conspirator As demands grew increasingly specific and sensitive requesting technical manuals operational procedures and intelligence assessments Conspirator A made explicit his interest in materials that were not publicly available and encouraged the defendant to seek out higher levels of classification emphasizing exclusiveness and CUI and better Schultz agreed to obtain higher levels of classified information for Conspirator A in exchange for moneyppThe defendant fully aware of the grave national security implications used his position and access to restricted databases including closed US government computer networks to download and transmit at least 92 sensitive US military documentsppThe case also revealed attempts by the defendant to recruit his friend and fellow Army intelligence analyst into the conspiracy At the time Schultzs friend was assigned to the US Department of Defenses IndoPacific Command INDOPACOM which is the combatant command that covers China and its regional areas of influence Schultz and Conspirator A discussed the need to recruit another person into their scheme who had better access to classified material They agreed that such recruitment needed to be done in a nice and slow fashionppThe FBIs Nashville Field Office investigated the case with valuable assistance from the US Army Counterintelligence Command and the Department of DefenseppAssistant US Attorney Josh Kurtzman for the Middle District of Tennessee and Trial Attorneys Adam Barry and Christopher Cook of the National Security Divisions Counterintelligence and Export Control Section prosecuted the caseppDale Britt Bendler 68 of Miami Florida pleaded guilty today to while being a public official at the Central Intelligence Agency CIA acting as a foreign agent required to registerppA fivecount superseding indictment has been unsealed today charging a Venezuelan national and alleged highranking member of the designated foreign terrorist organization Tren de Aragua TdA ppAbdullah Haji Zada 18 a native and citizen of Afghanistan and US lawful permanent resident pleaded guilty today to a criminal information charging him with knowingly receiving attempting to receiveppOffice of Public AffairsUS Department of Justice950 Pennsylvania Avenue NWWashington DC 20530ppOffice of Public Affairs Direct Line2025142007ppDepartment of Justice Main Switchboard2025142000ppSignup for Email 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ppArchived NewsppA former US Army intelligence analyst was sentenced today to 84 months in prison for conspiring to collect and transmit national defense information including sensitive nonpublic US military information to an individual he believed was affiliated with the Chinese governmentppKorbein Schultz 25 of Wills Point Texas pleaded guilty in August 2024 to conspiring to collect and transmit national defense information unlawfully exporting controlled information to China and accepting bribes in exchange of sensitive nonpublic US government informationppThis defendant swore an oath to defend the United States instead he betrayed it for a payout and put Americas military and service members at risk said Attorney General Pamela Bondi The Justice Department remains vigilant against Chinas efforts to target our military and will ensure that those who leak military secrets spend years behind barsppThis sentencing is a stark warning to those who betray our country you will pay a steep price for it said FBI Director Kash Patel The Peoples Republic of China is relentless in its efforts to steal our national defense information and service members are a prime target The FBI and our partners will continue to root out espionage and hold those accountable who abandon their obligation to safeguard defense information from hostile foreign governmentsppThose who collaborate with Americas foreign adversaries put our country and those who defend it at grave risk and we will do whatever it takes to hold them accountable for their crimes said Acting US Attorney Robert E McGuire for the Middle District of Tennessee We will proudly stand in support of our men and women in uniform and work diligently to protect them from people like the defendant who would sell them out for a few bucksppProtecting classified information is paramount to our national security and this sentencing reflects the ramifications when there is a breach of that trust said Brigadier General Rhett R Cox Commanding General of the Army Counterintelligence Command This Soldiers actions put Army personnel at risk placing individual gain above personal honor Army Counterintelligence Command in close collaboration with the Department of Justice the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Intelligence Community remains steadfast in our commitment to safeguarding our nations secrets and urges all current and former Army personnel to report any suspicious contact immediatelyppAccording to court documents between May 2022 until his arrest in March 2024 Schultz engaged in an ongoing conspiracy to provide dozens of sensitive US military documents many containing exportcontrolled tactical and technical information directly to a foreign national residing in the Peoples Republic of China Despite clear indications that this individual who is referenced in the Indictment as Conspirator A was likely connected to the Chinese government the defendant continued the relationship in exchange for financial compensation In exchange for approximately 42000 Schultz provided documents and data related to US military capabilities includingppConspirator A first contacted the defendant through a freelance webbased work platform shortly after the defendant received his Top SecretSensitive Compartmented Information TSSCI clearance Masquerading as a client from a geopolitical consulting firm Conspirator A solicited the defendant to produce detailed analyses on US military capabilities and planning particularly in relation to Taiwan and the RussiaUkraine conflictppAs the relationship progressed Conspirator As demands grew increasingly specific and sensitive requesting technical manuals operational procedures and intelligence assessments Conspirator A made explicit his interest in materials that were not publicly available and encouraged the defendant to seek out higher levels of classification emphasizing exclusiveness and CUI and better Schultz agreed to obtain higher levels of classified information for Conspirator A in exchange for moneyppThe defendant fully aware of the grave national security implications used his position and access to restricted databases including closed US government computer networks to download and transmit at least 92 sensitive US military documentsppThe case also revealed attempts by the defendant to recruit his friend and fellow Army intelligence analyst into the conspiracy At the time Schultzs friend was assigned to the US Department of Defenses IndoPacific Command INDOPACOM which is the combatant command that covers China and its regional areas of influence Schultz and Conspirator A discussed the need to recruit another person into their scheme who had better access to classified material They agreed that such recruitment needed to be done in a nice and slow fashionppThe FBIs Nashville Field Office investigated the case with valuable assistance from the US Army Counterintelligence Command and the Department of DefenseppAssistant US Attorney Josh Kurtzman for the Middle District of Tennessee and Trial Attorneys Adam Barry and Christopher Cook of the National Security Divisions Counterintelligence and Export Control Section prosecuted the caseppDale Britt Bendler 68 of Miami Florida pleaded guilty today to while being a public official at the Central Intelligence Agency CIA acting as a foreign agent required to registerppA fivecount superseding indictment has been unsealed today charging a Venezuelan national and alleged highranking member of the designated foreign terrorist organization Tren de Aragua TdA ppAbdullah Haji Zada 18 a native and citizen of Afghanistan and US lawful permanent resident pleaded guilty today to a criminal information charging him with knowingly receiving attempting to receiveppOffice of Public AffairsUS Department of Justice950 Pennsylvania Avenue NWWashington DC 20530ppOffice of Public Affairs Direct Line2025142007ppDepartment of Justice Main Switchboard2025142000ppSignup for Email UpdatesSocial MediappppHave a question about Government Servicesp
