Ex-U.S. Sergeant Charged for Attempting to Provide China with Information
OAN’s Abril Elfi
12:19 PM – Saturday, October 7, 2023
A former United States sergeant has been indicted by the Justice Department after he reportedly tried to pass classified information to China.
Joseph Daniel Schmidt, 29, was arrested Friday and charged with retention of national defense information and attempting to transmit national defense information for allegedly attempting to provide defense information to China through email after leaving the military.
Schmidt, who served in the 109th Military Intelligence Battalion from 2015 to 2020, had access to classified and top-secret information as part of his job.
After leaving the military, he allegedly emailed the Chinese Consulate in Turkey, offering them information about the U.S. defense.
Court records show that Schmidt allegedly introduces himself in the email and indicates that he has a top secret U.S. government security clearance as well as experience in surveillance detection and operating spies. He is said to have offered to share his knowledge with the Chinese leadership and requested a face-to-face meeting.
Investigators retrieved from Schmidt’s Apple iCloud account a Word document that he allegedly wrote two days later titled “Important Information to Share with the Chinese Government.” which the Army later determined to contained sensitive material.
According to prosecutors, Schmidt traveled to Hong Kong shortly after leaving the military in 2020, where they believe he retained a device that allowed him access to U.S .military networks and provided it to Chineses authorities.
The former sergeant was then arrested as he was attempting to fly from Hong Kong to San Francisco.
Acting U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman for the Western District of Washington said that Schmidt committed alleged efforts to “betray our country.”
“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 to gain access to Department of Defense secure computer networks,” Gorman said. “I commend the FBI for their diligent work to end his alleged efforts to betray our country.”
The Washington State 29-year-old can face up to 10 years behind bars for each count and a $250,000 fine if he is found guilty.
The U.S. Army Counterintelligence Command along with the FBI are investigating the case.
Stay informed! Receive breaking news blasts directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. https://www.oann.com/alerts
President Joe Biden, in a stunning reversal, will bypass numerous federal laws to continue construction of former President Donald Trump’s border wall, even after swearing to never do so.
There’s a brand new song out by artist Jimmy Levy called “Freedom.”
Congressman Mike Collins tells One America News that Georgia’s new Prosecuting Attorneys Qualifications Commission could act to remove Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.
The jobs report for September shows that we added 336,000 jobs, which is above expectations of 170,000.
Joe Biden’s administration is facing pressure from some lawmakers to restrict American companies from working on a freely available chip technology widely used in China.
OpenAI is exploring making its own artificial intelligence chips and is evaluating a potential acquisition target.
South Korea’s telecommunications regulator said on Friday that Alphabet Inc’s Google and Apple have abused their dominant app market position.
Billionaire Elon Musk is under investigation by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission over his 2022 purchase of social media giant Twitter
rnrn
How did Joseph Daniel Schmidt allegedly try to provide defense information to China after leaving the military?
(Title) Former US Sergeant Indicted for Attempting to Pass Classified Information to China
(Subtitle) Joseph Daniel Schmidt Arrested and Charged with Retention of National Defense Information
Date: October 7, 2023
Photo Credit: Win McNamee/Getty Images
A former United States sergeant has been indicted by the Justice Department after he reportedly tried to pass classified information to China. Joseph Daniel Schmidt, 29, was arrested on Friday and charged with retention of national defense information and attempting to transmit national defense information for allegedly attempting to provide defense information to China through email after leaving the military.
Schmidt, who served in the 109th Military Intelligence Battalion from 2015 to 2020, had access to classified and top-secret information as part of his job. After leaving the military, he allegedly emailed the Chinese Consulate in Turkey, offering them information about the U.S. defense.
Court records show that Schmidt introduced himself in the email and indicated that he has a top-secret U.S. government security clearance as well as experience in surveillance detection and operating spies. He offered to share his knowledge with the Chinese leadership and requested a face-to-face meeting.
Investigators retrieved from Schmidt’s Apple iCloud account a Word document that he allegedly wrote two days later titled “Important Information to Share with the Chinese Government,” which the Army later determined contained sensitive material.
According to prosecutors, Schmidt traveled to Hong Kong shortly after leaving the military in 2020, where they believe he retained a device that allowed him access to U.S. military networks and provided it to Chinese authorities.
The former sergeant was then arrested as he was attempting to fly from Hong Kong to San Francisco. Acting U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman for the Western District of Washington said that Schmidt committed alleged efforts to “betray our country.”
“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 to gain access to Department of Defense secure computer networks,” Gorman said. “I commend the FBI for their diligent work to end his alleged efforts to betray our country.”
The Washington State 29-year-old can face up to 10 years behind bars for each count and a $250,000 fine if he is found guilty. The U.S. Army Counterintelligence Command, along with the FBI, are investigating the case.
This incident highlights the importance of maintaining the integrity and loyalty of individuals serving in the military, especially those with access to sensitive information. It serves as a reminder of the ever-present threat of espionage and the need for stringent security measures.
" Conservative News Daily does not always share or support the views and opinions expressed here; they are just those of the writer."
*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases
