A former sergeant from the US Army, Joseph Daniel Schmidt (29), was arrested on Friday (Oct 6) on charges of attempting to provide classified information to China, according to the US Justice Department.
Schmidt, who served in an army intelligence unit from 2015 to 2020, has been charged with retaining secret national defense information and trying to share it with China. Following his departure from the military, Schmidt allegedly offered classified information to the Chinese consulate in Turkey and Chinese security services.
During his service with the 109 Military Intelligence Battalion at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state, Schmidt had access to secret and top-secret information. In March 2020, he traveled to Hong Kong, where the Justice Department claims he “continued his efforts to provide Chinese intelligence with classified information.”
The department further alleged that he retained a device capable of accessing secure military computer networks and offered this device to Chinese authorities to aid their attempts to gain access to such networks.
Schmidt, who had been living in Hong Kong, returned to the US on Friday (Oct 6) and was arrested upon landing in San Francisco.
Acting US Attorney Tessa Gorman stated, “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 in gaining access to Department of Defense secure computer networks.”
If convicted of the charges, Schmidt could face up to 20 years in prison.
This arrest follows the apprehension of two members of the US Navy just two months ago, who were suspected of spying for China. Jinchao Wei, serving on the USS Essex in San Diego, allegedly provided dozens of photos, documents, and videos detailing the operation of ships and onboard systems. Petty Officer Wenheng Zhao, stationed at a naval base near LA, is accused of spying for China for nearly two years.
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