A U.S. Army sergeant and intelligence analyst, Korbein Schultz, was arrested on Thursday on six charges connected to a conspiracy involving the exchange of military secrets with a co-conspirator in Hong Kong in return for money, officials announced.
The arrest took place at Fort Campbell, Tennessee, following an investigation initiated in June 2022, stated Henry Leventis, the U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee.
Schultz faces charges including 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, according to Leventis.
The U.S. attorney's office stated that Schultz collaborated with a co-conspirator in Hong Kong, purportedly affiliated with a “geopolitical consulting firm based overseas,” to share documents, writings, plans, maps, notes, and photographs related to national defense. Additionally, Schultz allegedly provided information that could potentially harm the United States or benefit a foreign nation.
The prosecutor's office reported that in exchange for his actions, the co-conspirator paid Schultz approximately $42,000 over 14 transactions.
Schultz, described by prosecutors as holding a “Top Secret security clearance,” was recruited by the co-conspirator, who frequently requested sensitive materials related to the United States and its military, as alleged by the U.S. attorney's office.
The co-conspirator specifically tasked Schultz with obtaining classified information concerning weapons systems and details regarding a potential U.S. response if China were to launch a military attack against Taiwan. Schultz had access to such materials due to his security clearance, according to the prosecutor's office.
The information Schultz provided included documents related to the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), details on hypersonic equipment, studies on the future development of U.S. military forces, analyses on major countries such as the People’s Republic of China, and summaries of military drills and operations, as stated by the office.
Moreover, during the nearly two-year alleged conspiracy, Schultz shared three documents that violated the Arms Export Control Act. These documents included Air Force Tactics Techniques and Procedures manuals for the HH-60W helicopter, F22-A fighter aircraft, and intercontinental ballistic missiles, according to prosecutors.
Schultz is set to make his initial appearance in a central Tennessee court on Friday, Leventis confirmed.
