Former Soldier Indicted for Attempting to Pass National Defense Information to People’s Republic of China

Very strange:

. . . .My last year in the military [] left me with experience working with an advanced intelligence team on a project with technology that is very compartmentalized, to the extent that the majority of people in the intelligence field are unaware of its existence. I will only discuss this technology in person if I can meet with a qualified member of the Chinese Security Bureau . . .

. . . On May 7, 2020, SCHMIDT used Gmail account 1 to send the following message to his sister:
“Hey Mary, there’s something I need to tell you. The real reason I left America is because of a disagreement with American policy. I don’t talk about it often, but I learned some really terrible things about the American government while I was working in the Army, and I no longer feel safe living in America or like I want to support the American government. I don’t plan on going back any time, except maybe once to sell my house, and I plan on limiting my contact with people who live in America. So basically, I’ll be going off the map for a long time. If you don’t hear from me, it’s because I don’t trust the U.S. government, and I want to minimize my communication to U.S. numbers. I’ll still communicate occasionally by email, but I just wanted to give you a heads up so you don’t worry about me.” . . .

Former US intelligence officer charged with trying to give classified defense information to China(AP, 6 OCT 23)

A former U.S. Army intelligence officer has been charged with attempting to provide classified defense information to the Chinese security services during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic — including some listed in a Microsoft Word document titled “Important Information to Share with Chinese Government.”

Authorities on Friday arrested former Sgt. Joseph Daniel Schmidt, 29, at San Francisco International Airport as he arrived from Hong Kong, where he had been living since March 2020, the Justice Department said. A federal grand jury in Seattle returned an indictment Wednesday charging him with retention and attempted delivery of national defense information.

A public defender assigned to represented Schmidt at a brief appearance at U.S. District Court in San Francisco on Friday pending his transfer to Washington state did not immediately return an email seeking comment. U.S. District Court records in Seattle did not list an attorney representing Schmidt on the charges, and neither the U.S. attorney’s office nor the federal public defender’s office had information about whether he had a lawyer, representatives said.

An FBI declaration filed in the case quoted Schmidt as telling his sister in an email that he left the U.S. because he disagreed with unspecified aspects of American policy.

“I don’t talk about it often, but I learned some really terrible things about the American government while I was working in the Army, and I no longer feel safe living in America or like I want to support the American government,” he was quoted as writing.

Schmidt spent five years in active duty in the Army, where he was primarily assigned to the 109th Military Intelligence Battalion at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state, according to a declaration filed in U.S. District Court by FBI Special Agent Brandon Tower. He eventually became a team leader on a human intelligence squad, and he had access to secret and top secret defense information, Tower wrote.

Schmidt left active duty in January 2020 and traveled the next month to Istanbul, where he sent an email to the Chinese consulate trying to set up a meeting, Tower wrote.

“I am a United States citizen looking to move to China,” the email said, according to the declaration. “I also am trying to share information I learned during my career as an interrogator with the Chinese government. I have a current top secret clearance, and would like to talk to someone from the Government to share this information with you if that is possible. … I would like to go over the details with you in person if possible, as I am concerned with discussing this over email.”

It was the first of several attempts to share information with the People’s Republic of China, Tower wrote. Two days later, he drafted a Word document titled “Important Information to Share with Chinese Government” that included classified information related to national defense; investigators recovered it from his Apple iCloud account, the declaration said. . . . . (read more)

Disaffected Ex-Army Sergeant Tried Brazenly to Sell Secrets to China, Feds Say (Daily Beast, 7 OCT 23)

A former U.S. Army intelligence team leader who complained of learning “some really terrible things about the American government” hoarded years’ worth of national defense secrets and technology that he tried to share with China, according to a newly unsealed federal indictment.

Joseph Daniel Schmidt, 29, has been living primarily in Mainland China and Hong Kong since March 2020, just two months after separating from the military as a sergeant. Safely out of reach for U.S. authorities for more than two years, Schmidt was arrested Friday after landing at San Francisco International Airport. He is charged with attempting to deliver national defense information, and retention of national defense information. Each offense carries a sentence of up to 10 years in prison.

Schmidt’s alleged overtures to the Chinese began with a Feb. 24, 2020, email, according to an FBI affidavit that accompanies a detention motion filed Friday by prosecutors.

“I am a United States citizen looking to move to China,” Schmidt wrote to the Chinese Consulate in Istanbul, according to the affidavit. “I currently reside in Istanbul, and am trying to set up an appointment at the consulate in Istanbul. I also am trying to share information I learned during my career as an interrogator with the Chinese government. I have a current top secret clearance, and would like to talk to someone from the Government to share this information with you if that is possible.”

Schmidt then allegedly ran through the finer points of his service, listing “training in interrogation, running sources as a spy handler, surveillance detection, and other advanced psychological operation strategies.”

“I would like to go over the details with you in person if possible, as I am concerned with discussing this over email,” the email concluded. “I’m sorry for using English, but I want to make sure that I do not miscommunicate. Please contact me at your earliest convenience if I can set up a time to meet with you. Thank you, Joe Schmidt”

Schmidt, an active-duty soldier from 2015 to 2020 who studied Mandarin, was most recently assigned to the 109th Military Intelligence Battalion at Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) near Tacoma, Washington. He held Top Secret and SCI (Sensitive Compartmented Information) security clearances, according to the affidavit, and was assigned to a Human Intelligence (HUMINT) squad. Schmidt’s work “directly supported the Indo-Pacific Command, the U.S. Department of Defense’s geographic combatant command that covers the Pacific Ocean and Indian Ocean region, including the PRC,” the affidavit states. . . . .  (read more)