An ex-Army sergeant was charged for attempting to provide China with sensitive information

The Justice Department announced Friday that a former US Army sergeant was arrested at the San Francisco airport and indicted on charges of unlawfully retaining classified information and attempting to deliver it to China's security services.

Prosecutors said Joseph Daniel Schmidt, 29, was an active duty soldier with his primary assignment at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state between 2015 and 2020. According to the statement, he traveled to Hong Kong two months after leaving the Army after allegedly reaching out to China's consulate in Turkey and then directly to China's security services offering classified information.

While in Hong Kong, he continued to pass classified intelligence to the Chinese and "allegedly retained a device that allows for access to secure military computer networks and offered the device to Chinese authorities to assist them in their efforts to gain access to such networks," according to the Justice Department.

Each count carries a maximum prison sentence of ten years and a fine of up to $250,000 in fines. He has yet to enter a plea.