The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has arrested a total of three people on charges of selling classified information to individuals based in China. According to the FBI, while two of those arrested are active-duty soldiers, the third is a former soldier.
Jian Zhao and Li Tian, active-duty US Army soldiers stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, along with Ruoyu Duan, a former soldier, were arrested on Thursday.
Zhao was accused of gathering classified hard drives and a computer taken from the US government to sell to unspecified individuals in China, while Tian and Duan were charged with conspiring to commit bribery and theft of government property.
According to the Justice Department, the thefts began in July 2024 and resulted in Zhao receiving at least $15,000 in payment for the contraband.
According to the indictment, Zhao, with other accomplices, "did knowingly and unlawfully conspire... to obtain and transmit documents, writings, photographs, instruments, appliances, and notes relating to the national defence of the United States to individuals not entitled to receive it".
The FBI alleged Tian would "gather sensitive military information related to the United States Army's operational capabilities," specifically regarding US military weapon systems, and sold it to Duan for an unspecified sum between November 2021 and December 2024.
"These individuals have been charged with stealing America¡¯s defence intelligence capabilities and empowering adversaries like China in betrayal of our country. They will now face American justice," newly appointed FBI Director Kash Patel said on X.
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