A federal investigation led to a former U.S. Army intelligence analyst being sentenced to 84 months in prison on three federal charges for his role in a conspiracy to collect defense information and transfer it to the Chinese government, which Attorney General Pam Bondi described as betraying his oath to defend the United States “for a payout.”
For background, an April 23, 2025, press release confirmed that Korbein Schultz, a 25-year-old resident of Willis Point, Texas, had pleaded guilty on charges of conspiring to collect and transmit national defense information, along with unlawfully exporting controlled intel to China and accepting bribes. The Department of Justice clarified that Shultz was paid about $42,000 to send sensitive military documents and information to China.
Weighing in on the case in the press release, Attorney General Pam Bondi condemned Schultz’s actions, 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.” She added, “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 called Schultz’s sentencing “a stark warning to those who betray our country,” specifying that the warning was, “You will pay a steep price for it.” Director Patel went on to say that the People’s Republic of China “is relentless in its efforts to steal our national defense information, and service members are a prime target.”
Moreover, Director Patel said that in future cases of conspiracy, the FBI and its partner agencies “will continue to root out espionage and hold those accountable who abandon their obligation to safeguard defense information from hostile foreign governments.”
Likewise, Acting Attorney Robert E. McGuire for the Middle District of Tennessee said that individuals like Schultz, “who collaborate with America’s foreign adversaries,” put the United States at “grave risk” by sharing sensitive information with a foreign government. He added, “We will do whatever it takes to hold them accountable for their crimes.”
Additionally, the DOJ stated that Schultz had attempted to recruit “his friend and fellow Army intelligence analyst into the conspiracy,” adding that Schultz’s point of contact in the Chinese government had “discussed the need to recruit another person into their scheme who had better access to classified material.”
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The DOJ also clarified that Schultz was initially contacted to spy on behalf of the Chinese government “through a freelance web-based work platform,” through which he shared technical manuals for aircraft and missile systems, along with specific details of U.S. Military training tactics and combat strategies. The Justice Department’s press release noted that Schultz was “fully aware of the grave national security implications” when he shared the sensitive information with China.
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