Ex-Army Sergeant's Bold Attempt to Sell US Secrets to China Ends in Indictment

Former U.S. Army sergeant Joseph Schmidt, who had top-secret security clearances, has been charged with attempting to deliver national defense information and retention of national defense information after allegedly trying to share classified information with China. Schmidt, who had been living in China since March 2020, was arrested upon landing at San Francisco International Airport. He had sent an email to the Chinese Consulate in Istanbul offering to share information he learned during his career as an interrogator. Schmidt allegedly created documents containing classified information and made overtures to Chinese state media outlets.