US Army intelligence analyst Korbein Schultz charged with selling military secrets to China for US$42,000
- Analyst was allegedly paid US$42,000 to provide information about US plans in the event Taiwan came under attack
- Other files included information related to hypersonic equipment, Himars and studies on military drills and operations
A US Army intelligence analyst was arrested on Thursday and charged with conspiring to sell sensitive defence information to China.
Federal prosecutors charged Korbein Schultz with conspiracy to disclose national defence information, exporting defence articles and technical data without a licence, and bribery of a public official, the US Justice Department said in a press release.
Schultz, who was arrested at Kentucky’s Fort Campbell, was paid around US$42,000 to provide an individual he believed lived in Hong Kong with information about US plans in the event Taiwan came under military attack, according to the release.
Schultz put “personal profit above the security of the American people”, Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen said in the statement.
“Today’s arrest shows that such a betrayal does not pay – the Department of Justice is committed to identifying and holding accountable those who would break their oath to protect our nation’s secrets.”