A former U.S. Army sergeant was arrested on an indictment that charges him with attempting to pass national defense information to the People's Republic of China.
Joseph Daniel Schmidt, 29, who was last stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, was arrested at the San Francisco International Airport for two federal felony charges. He was arrested following a flight from Hong Kong. Schmidt was indicted on attempting to deliver national defense information and retention of national defense information, according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Justice.
"Individuals entrusted with national defense information have a continuing duty to protect that information beyond their government service and certainly beyond our borders," assistant attorney general for national security Matthew G. Olsen said in the release. "The National Security Division is committed to identifying and holding accountable those who violate that duty."
Schmidt appeared in the U.S. District Court in Northern California on Friday morning. He is expected to be brought to the Western District of Washington's U.S. District Court for further proceedings, the release said.
According to case records, Schmidt was an active-duty solider from January 2015 to 2020. His primary assignment was at JBLM where he was in the 109th Military Intelligence Battalion. Schmidt had access to national defense information and other confidential information.
Following Schmidt's separation from the military, he allegedly reached out to the Chinese Consulate in Turkey and later, the Chinese security services through email offering national defense information, according to the news release.
Schmidt allegedly tried to provide Chinese intelligence with classified information when he traveled to Hong Kong in March 2020. The Department of Justice accuses Schmidt of retaining a device that has access to secure military computer networks. He allegedly offered the device to Chinese officials, the release said.
Schmidt remained in Hong Kong until this week when he traveled to San Francisco.
The release said that attempts to deliver national defense information and retention of national defense information are both punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
