In an astonishing military scandal, a 25-year-old U.S. Army intelligence analyst was sentenced to seven years in prison after he sold sensitive military information to an individual who had known ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in exchange for thousands of dollars.
For context, Korbein Schultz, a resident of Wills Point, Texas, pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy on August 13, 2024, and was sentenced for his crimes on April 23, 2025. After his trial, Schultz was berated by Attorney General Pam Bondi for betraying the United States, and the corrupt analyst was later used as a cautionary example by FBI Director Kash Patel.
According to a press release from the U.S. Office of Public Affairs, Schultz collaborated with an alleged representative of the People’s Republic of China between May 2022 and his arrest in March 2024. The press release went on to explain that Schultz “engaged in an ongoing conspiracy to provide dozens of sensitive U.S. military documents — many containing export-controlled tactical and technical information.”
Furthermore, the press release revealed that Schultz was paid “approximately $42,000” by a conspirator, adding that Schultz revealed multiple key pieces of information, including “details on U.S. military exercises in the Republic of Korea and the Philippines,” along with “Lessons learned by the U.S. Army from the Ukraine/Russia conflict applicable to Taiwan’s defense.”
Commenting on Schultz’s indictment, Attorney General Pam Bondi was unrelenting in her condemnation of the corrupt Army analyst, saying, “This defendant swore an oath to defend the United States — instead, he betrayed it for a payout and put America’s military and service members at risk. The Justice Department remains vigilant against China’s efforts to target our military and will ensure that those who leak military secrets spend years behind bars.”
In addition, FBI Director Kash Patel used Schultz’s sentencing as a warning to anyone attempting to sabotage U.S. military operations, saying, “This sentencing is a stark warning to those who betray our country: you will pay a steep price for it. The People’s Republic of China is relentless in its efforts to steal our national defense information, and service members are a prime target. The FBI and our partners will continue to root out espionage and hold those accountable who abandon their obligation to safeguard defense information from hostile foreign governments.”
Along with AG Bondi and Director Patel, Acting U.S. Attorney Robert E. McGuire for the Middle District of Tennessee vowed to protect loyal U.S. soldiers from their corrupt counterparts, saying, “Those who collaborate with America’s foreign adversaries put our country, and those who defend it, at grave risk and we will do whatever it takes to hold them accountable for their crimes. We will proudly stand in support of our men and women in uniform and work diligently to protect them from people like the defendant who would sell them out for a few bucks.”
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According to an earlier DOJ press release, Schultz faced a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for exporting technical data related to defense articles alone, along with an additional 15 years in prison for bribery of a public official and 10 years in prison for conspiracy to obtain and transmit national defense information. His final sentence was 84 months.
Watch coverage of Schultz’s indictment:
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video