REPORT: Former US soldier learns fate after selling military docs to Chinese national

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From Fox News: A former U.S. Army intelligence analyst was sentenced to seven years in prison on Wednesday for giving sensitive military information to a person he believed was affiliated with the Chinese government.

Korbein Schultz, 25, of Wills Point, Texas, pleaded guilty in August 2024 to conspiring to collect and transmit national defense information, unlawfully exporting controlled information to China, and accepting bribes in exchange for sensitive, non-public U.S. government information.

From May 2022 until his arrest in March 2024, Schultz engaged in an ongoing conspiracy to provide dozens of sensitive U.S. military documents — many of which contained export-controlled tactical and technical information — directly to a foreign national living in the People’s Republic of China, according to court documents.

Despite “clear indications” the person he was giving the information to was likely connected to the Chinese government, Schultz continued the relationship in exchange for about $42,000, according to officials.

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In a press release, the Justice Department shared the following details:

According to court documents, between May 2022 until his arrest in March 2024, Schultz engaged in an ongoing conspiracy to provide dozens of sensitive U.S. military documents — many containing export-controlled tactical and technical information — directly to a foreign national residing in the People’s Republic of China. Despite clear indications that this individual, who is referenced in the Indictment as Conspirator A, was likely connected to the Chinese government, the defendant continued the relationship in exchange for financial compensation. In exchange for approximately $42,000, Schultz provided documents and data related to U.S. military capabilities, including:

  • His Army unit’s operational order before it was deployed to Eastern Europe in support of NATO operations;
  • Lessons learned by the U.S. Army from the Ukraine/Russia conflict applicable to Taiwan’s defense;
  • Technical manuals for the HH-60 helicopter, F-22A fighter aircraft, and Intercontinental Ballistic Missile systems;
  • Information on Chinese military tactics and the People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force;
  • Details on U.S. military exercises in the Republic of Korea and the Philippines;
  • Documents concerning U.S. military satellites and missile defense systems like the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD).
  • Tactics for countering unmanned aerial systems in large-scale combat operations.

Conspirator A first contacted the defendant through a freelance web-based work platform shortly after the defendant received his Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI) clearance. Masquerading as a client from a geopolitical consulting firm, Conspirator A solicited the defendant to produce detailed analyses on U.S. military capabilities and planning, particularly in relation to Taiwan and the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

As the relationship progressed, Conspirator A’s demands grew increasingly specific and sensitive — requesting technical manuals, operational procedures, and intelligence assessments. Conspirator A made explicit his interest in materials that were not publicly available and encouraged the defendant to seek out higher levels of classification, emphasizing “exclusiveness” and “CUI and better.”  Schultz agreed to obtain higher levels of classified information for Conspirator A in exchange for money.

The defendant, fully aware of the grave national security implications, used his position and access to restricted databases — including closed U.S. government computer networks — to download and transmit at least 92 sensitive U.S. military documents.

The case also revealed attempts by the defendant to recruit his friend and fellow Army intelligence analyst into the conspiracy. At the time, Schultz’s friend was assigned to the U.S. Department of Defense’s Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM), which is the combatant command that covers China and its regional areas of influence. Schultz and Conspirator A discussed the need to recruit another person into their scheme who had better access to classified material. They agreed that such recruitment needed to be done in a “nice and slow fashion.”

Below is an interview with Korbein Schultz, before he landed in hot water for selling secrets to China.

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