Washington DC: Three individuals, including two active-duty US Army soldiers, Jian Zhao and Li Tian, and one former US Army soldier, Ruoyu Duan, have been arrested and charged with various crimes related to national security, read a press release of US State Department.
Zhao, a Supply Sergeant stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, was charged with conspiring to obtain and transmit national defense information to individuals in China, as well as bribery and theft of government property, the US State Department said on Friday.
The indictment alleged that Zhao conspired with others to collect and transmit classified hard drives, including those marked "SECRET" and "TOP SECRET", to individuals in China.
The indictment in the Western District of Washington alleged that beginning in or about July 2024 and continuing to the date of the arrest, Jian Zhao, an active-duty US Army Supply Sergeant, conspired with others known and unknown to the grand jury to obtain and transmit national defense information to individuals based in China. Zhao is further alleged to have committed bribery and theft of government property.
"Zhao was charged in the Western District of Washington for conspiring to obtain and transmit national defense information to an individual not authorized to receive it and also for bribery and theft of government property," the statement added.
He reportedly received at least USD 10,000 in exchange for selling the classified hard drives. Additionally, Zhao is accused of conspiring to sell stolen US government property, including an encryption-capable computer and sensitive US military documents and information.
According to a US State Department statement, Tian and Duan were charged in the District of Oregon for conspiring to commit bribery and theft of government property.
Tian and Duan, on the other hand, were charged with conspiring to commit bribery and theft of government property. The indictment alleged that they conspired to gather sensitive military information related to US Army operational capabilities and transmit it to each other in exchange for money.
"The indictment in the District of Oregon alleges that beginning on or about November 28, 2021, and continuing to at least on or about December 19, 2024, Duan and Tian along with others, known and unknown to the grand jury conspired with each other to surreptitiously gather sensitive military information related to the United States Army's operational capabilities, including technical manuals and other sensitive information, and that Tian transmitted this information to Duan in return for money, in violation of his official duties as an active-duty US Army officer," as per the US State Department.
"The defendants arrested on Friday are accused of betraying our country, actively working to weaken America's defense capabilities and empowering our adversaries in China," said Attorney General Pamela J Bondi. "They will face swift, severe, and comprehensive justice," he added.
Specifically, Tian was tasked with gathering information on US military weapon systems, including information on the Bradley and Stryker US Army fighting vehicles, and transmitting them to Duan.
"While bribery and corruption have thrived under China's Communist Party, this behavior cannot be tolerated with our service members who are entrusted with sensitive military information, including national defense information," said FBI Director Kash Patel.
FBI Director Kash Patel emphasised that the FBI will continue to work to uncover attempts by individuals in China to steal sensitive US military information and hold accountable those who betray national defense.
"The FBI and our partners will continue to work to uncover attempts by those in China to steal sensitive US military information and hold all accountable who play a role in betraying our national defense. The FBI would like to thank US Army Counterintelligence for their close partnership during this investigation."
"We thank the FBI and US Army Counterintelligence Command for their hard work on this investigation and commitment to protecting our national security," said Acting US Attorney William M Narus for the District of Oregon.
"These arrests underscore the persistent and increasing foreign intelligence threat facing our Army and nation," said Brig. Gen. Rhett R. Cox, Commanding General, Army Counterintelligence Command. "Along with the Department of Justice and FBI, Army Counterintelligence Command will continue to work tirelessly to hold those accountable who irresponsibly and selfishly abandon the Army values and choose personal gain over duty to our nation. We remind all members of the Army team to increase their vigilance and protect our Army by reporting suspicious activity."
The FBI and the US Army Counterintelligence Command investigated the case, according to US State Department.
Assistant US Attorneys Geoffrey Barrow and Katherine Rykken for the District of Oregon and Trial Attorneys Christopher Cook and Yifei Zheng of the National Security Division's Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case. (ANI)