On Thursday, federal grand juries in the District of Oregon and the Western District of Washington handed down indictments against three individuals linked to the U.S. military.  Jian Zhao and Li Tian were both active-duty soldiers stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, and the third, Ruoyu Duan, is a former soldier.

According to the March 6 Department of Justice Press release, “Tian and Duan were charged in the District of Oregon for conspiring to commit bribery and theft of government property.”  Specifically, Duan and Tian allegedly conspired to secretly collect sensitive U.S. military information from November 28, 2021, to at least December 19, 2024.

Tian, an active-duty U.S. Army officer, allegedly gathered information on U.S. military weapon systems, including technical manuals for the Bradley and Stryker fighting vehicles, and transmitted these data to Duan in exchange for money.

Beginning in or about July 2024, Zhao allegedly collected and then disclosed national defense or sensitive information with a co-conspirator (Co-Conspirator 1 in the indictment) who is a “foreign national purporting to reside in Changchun, the People’s Republic of China (PRC).”  Zhao maintained a U.S. security clearance and “was eligible to access material up to and including the SECRET level,” according to the indictment brought in the Western District of Washington.

According to the press release, Zhao “conspired to collect and transmit several classified hard drives, including ones marked ‘SECRET’ and ‘TOP SECRET,’ for which he received at least $10,000.”  In addition, Zhao is accused of conspiring to sell an encryption-capable computer stolen from the U.S. government, as well as sensitive U.S. military documents and information.  This includes data related to the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) and information on U.S. military readiness in the event of a conflict with the PRC.  In total, Zhao allegedly “corruptly received” payments totaling $15,000.

FBI director Kash Patel highlighted the Trump administration’s commitment to ensuring active service members understand that criminal behavior will not be tolerated.  Patel promised that the individuals “would face American justice.”

Brig. Gen. Rhett Cox, the commanding general of the Army Counterintelligence Command (ACIC), highlighted the need for vigilance with the ongoing threat of the PRC:

These arrests underscore the persistent and increasing foreign intelligence threat facing our Army and nation.  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.

Cox took over the responsibility for the ACIC in November, 2022.

Image via Pixabay.