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An Army intelligence analyst is accused of selling a trove of national security secrets to China, including potential U.S. military plans in the event Taiwan comes under attack, documents related to hypersonic weapons, and studies on the future development of U.S. military forces.
Sgt. Korbein Schultz of the Army’s 101st Airborne Division was arrested Thursday at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, following an indictment by a federal grand jury. He is charged with conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defense information, exporting defense-related technical data without a license, conspiracy to export defense articles without a license, and bribery of a public official, officials said.
“As part of the conspiracy, the defendant provided sensitive government information to his coconspirator in exchange for thousands of dollars, placing personal profit above the security of the American people,” said Matthew G. Olsen, assistant attorney general in the Justice Department’s National Security Division.
Prosecutors said Sgt. Schultz began working with a Hong Kong-based associate, identified in court documents only as Conspirator A, in June 2022. He was asked to cull through government computer records to find information about Russia’s war with Ukraine and how the information could be applied to the situation in Taiwan.
Conspirator A also wanted information about the Army’s HIMARS artillery system, including specific performance data and how the weapon would be integrated into a combat operation. In exchange for the documents and information, he made at least 14 payments to Sgt. Schultz totaling about $42,000, officials said.
Sgt. Schultz also is accused of sending Conspirator A three documents that violated the Arms Export Control Act, including Air Force technical and procedural manuals for intercontinental ballistic missiles, or ICBMs, the F22-A jet fighter and the HH-60W helicopter.
Sgt. Schultz is facing up to 65 years in prison and $2.5 million in fines on the federal charges.
“Protecting national defense information is absolutely critical to our country’s safety and security,” U.S. Attorney Henry C. Leventis said. “The unauthorized sale of such information violates our national security laws, compromises our safety, and cannot be tolerated.”
According to the court documents, Conspirator A regularly pressed Sgt. Schultz for more exclusive and sensitive information along with convincing others to take part in the scheme. They used multiple internet-based encryption methods to communicate with each other, prosecutors said.
In July 2022, Sgt. Schultz told Conspirator A that he wanted to turn their relationship into a long-term partnership. They attempted to hide their illegal activity by describing their online financial transactions as being related to car customization, according to court documents.
In August 2022, he was told that providing sensitive information about U.S. military activity in the Philippine Sea could result in a larger payout. “I hope so. I need to get my other BMW back,” Sgt. Schultz said, according to the court documents.
The FBI and the U.S. Army Counterintelligence Command conducted the investigation that led to Thursday’s arrest.
• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.
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