NASHVILLE, Tenn. – U.S. Attorney Henry C. Leventis of the Middle District of Tennessee announced Thursday that a U.S. Army soldier at Fort Campbell has been charged with selling national defense secrets to China.
Corbein Schultz was an Army intelligence analyst with the 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment at Fort Campbell, Leventis said. He was arrested early Thursday.
Leventis said the indictment charges Schultz with six crimes, including conspiracy to illegally transmit defense information, illegally exporting defense supplies to China and bribery of public officials.
“He traded our national defense information for cash,” Leventis said. He received his $42,000 in 14 payments.
Starting in June 2022, Schultz collected information about U.S. military operations, including advanced military helicopters, high-mobility artillery rocket systems, defensive missile systems, and Chinese military tactics, and shared it with Chinese co-conspirators, according to the indictment. It is said that F22-A fighter and intercontinental missile tactical techniques and procedures manual.
According to the indictment, Schultz told a co-conspirator in August 2022, “I wish I could have been 'Jason Bourne,'” and a month later, he told a co-conspirator, “I wish I could move to Hong Kong and work directly for you.” He said that he thought about it. Until the indictment.
The co-conspirators lured Schultz with promises of riches and horse-racing perks, which Schultz appears to have an affinity for, according to the indictment and a review of social media.
According to court documents, on May 20, 2023, the co-conspirator told Schultz that he “wanted to meet him at an overseas F1 race” and wanted Schultz to become his “senior partner” with a “large contract bonus.” .
Mr. Schultz replied, “Oh, snap!”
Indictment reveals details of conspiracy
According to the indictment, the first request to co-conspirator Schultz was to provide information about “lessons that can be learned from the war between Russia and Ukraine,” as well as “what the United States can and should do to protect Taiwan from attack.” It was to do. . ”
According to the indictment, Schultz was paid $200 on July 6, 2022, after he sent his co-conspirators a draft document regarding his demands. Two days later, Schultz told his co-conspirator that he wanted to turn their relationship into a “long-term partnership.”
Shortly after Schultz began sending the information in June 2022, the co-conspirators informed Schultz that he could receive even more money if the documents were made confidential.
According to the indictment, the co-conspirators then provided Schultz with “research on hypersonic devices, future developments for the U.S. military, research on major countries such as the People's Republic of China, and summaries of military training/operations.”
The co-conspirators and Mr. Schultz also described online financial transactions as related to “car customization” and discussed ways to hide their activities.
On August 4, 2022, the co-conspirators told Schultz that the co-conspirators would “pay the price” if the documents shared by Sgt. [Schultz] “I hope so!” Schultz replied, according to the indictment. I have to get my other BMW back! ”
family confused and shocked
Schultz's second cousin, Colby Weldon, who lives in a brick ranch house in Clarksville, Tenn., was arrested around 11 a.m. PT on Thursday when investigators pulled a gun on him to arrest him. When she entered the house, she said she woke up to the sound of her dog barking.
Weldon said in an interview that it was a traumatic experience for her family and a complete surprise.
“All we knew was that he was writing a paper (on a computer),” he said.
Weldon, who also served in the U.S. Army at Fort Campbell, shared a bond with Schultz and said the charges hurt on a deeper level.
“It's really upsetting,” Weldon said.
Who is Corbein Schultz?
Mr. Schultz is a native of Wills Point, Texas, and is a sergeant in the U.S. Army. His Facebook page shows him living in Clarksville with his family.
Schultz, 24, has been with the Army since November 2018, according to Lt. Col. Ruth Castro, an Army spokeswoman. His awards include the Army Good Conduct Medal.
According to an Army-produced video, Schultz was stationed at Fort McCoy in Wisconsin in August 2021, but in 2019 Schultz was stationed at Fort Cavazos, formerly known as Fort Hood. There is also a record that it was.
According to the indictment filed against him, Schultz was on an overseas deployment in September.
Schultz Incident: The latest incident related to military secrets
Leventis made the announcement Thursday in Nashville. He was joined by Douglas DePodesta, the FBI special agent in charge.
A Fort Campbell spokesperson confirmed to The Tennessean, part of the USA TODAY Network, that Schultz has been assigned to the Clarksville post, but did not provide further details.
“We can confirm that the individual is assigned to Fort Campbell,” said Fort Campbell spokesman Lt. Col. Tony Hoefler. “We have and will continue to cooperate with the U.S. Attorney's Office.”
The arrest comes shortly after a U.S. Air Force civilian in Nebraska was arrested on suspicion of sharing confidential information on a foreign dating site with someone claiming to be a Ukrainian woman.
David Franklin Slater, 63, was arrested on March 2 on charges of conspiring to transmit classified information about Russia's war in Ukraine over a three-month period in early 2022, when the Russian invasion began.
A Navy sailor from San Diego was similarly charged with selling classified information to China and sentenced to 27 months in federal prison in January.
Petty Officer Wenheng Zhao, 26, pled guilty in October 2023 to charges of conspiring with intelligence agents and accepting bribes while on duty at the Ventura County Naval Base in Port Hueneme.
Contributors: Tennessee reporters Craig Shoup and Kirsten Fiscus, USA TODAY reporter Tom Vanden Brook
Evan Meelins is a justice reporter for The Tennessean, part of the USA TODAY Network. Contact him at emealins@gannett.com or follow him on X (previously known as Twitter). @EvanMebeLinds.
