Army Intelligence Officer Pleads Guilty To Selling Defense Information To China

An intelligence officer with the U.S. Army pled guilty on Tuesday to selling critical military documents to an individual in Hong Kong believed to be tied to the Chinese government. 

Korbein Schultz, 24, who was stationed at Fort Campbell along the Kentucky-Tennessee border, pled guilty to 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, the Justice Department announced. He faces up to 65 years in prison upon his sentencing in January. 

“This defendant sold national defense information to a foreign actor and conspired to corrupt other members of our military,” said United States Attorney Henry Leventis. “In doing so, he violated his training and his oath as a member of the armed services and he compromised our national security.” 

Robert Well of the FBI said that the incident was a reminder that hostile governments like China are trying to steal U.S. military secrets. 

“Governments like China are aggressively targeting our military personnel and national security information and we will do everything in our power to ensure that information is safeguarded from hostile foreign governments,” he said. 

According to the indictment, Schultz’s illegal activity began in June 2022 and continued until his arrest in March. One of his most recent duties was listed as “Classified Document Custodian,” the indictment against him noted. 

Some of the information that Schultz sold included a document explaining how the U.S. would apply lessons learned from the Russia-Ukraine war to Taiwan, Air Force documents about the HH-60 helicopter, American intelligence on the Chinese military, rocket defense systems, and U.S. military exercises with South Korea and the Philippines. 

Prosecutors previously said that he made around $42,000 from the transmission of the materials.

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Schultz could get 10 years in prison for conspiracy to obtain and transmit national defense information, 20 years for exporting defense data to China without a license, 20 years for conspiracy to violate the Arms Export Control Act, and another 15 years for the bribery charge. 

“This Soldier swore an oath to faithfully discharge his duties, to include protecting national defense information. Not only did he fail in his sworn duty, but he placed personal gain above his duty to our country and disclosed information that could give an advantage to a foreign nation, putting his fellow Soldiers in jeopardy,” said Brigadier General Rhett Cox.

The FBI and the U.S. Army Counterintelligence Command conducted the investigation into Schultz.