Ex-Army Sergeant Gets Four Years for Attempting to Give Secrets to China, Citing Mental Health Spiral
A former U.S. Army intelligence sergeant with top-secret clearance was sentenced Tuesday to four years in federal prison after admitting he tried to provide classified information to the Chinese government.
Joseph Daniel Schmidt, 31, who served in the Army’s 109th Military Intelligence Battalion at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state, pleaded guilty in June to charges of attempting to deliver national defense information to a foreign government and retaining classified documents.
According to prosecutors, Schmidt deliberately created multiple documents derived from classified material and contacted Chinese consular officials after separating from the Army in 2020. He also retained a secure access device from his time in the military, which he allegedly offered to Chinese intelligence.
After leaving the Army, Schmidt traveled to Hong Kong in March 2020 and remained there for over three years, corresponding with Chinese contacts. He returned to the U.S. in October 2023 and was arrested upon landing in San Francisco. The FBI, along with the U.S. Army Counterintelligence Command, conducted the investigation.
The Department of Justice emphasized the growing threat of Chinese espionage targeting former U.S. military personnel.
“As a retired Army officer, I find it unconscionable for a former soldier to put his colleagues and country at risk by peddling secret information and intelligence access to a hostile foreign power,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd Greenberg added that Schmidt knowingly used his military training to aid a foreign adversary, conducting online searches like “Can you be extradited for treason?” as he plotted his betrayal.
U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour handed down the four-year sentence in Seattle, along with three years of supervised release. During sentencing, the judge took into account Schmidt’s mental health, which had deteriorated significantly following his military service.
According to DOJ officials, Schmidt experienced a mental health episode that contributed to his decision-making. Despite the severity of the case, no classified material is believed to have ultimately reached China.
FBI Seattle Field Office Special Agent in Charge W. Mike Herrington said the bureau would continue to defend against insider threats.
“The FBI and our partners will remain vigilant in our mission to safeguard our nation,” he stated.