A former U.S. Army sergeant has been sentenced to four years in prison for attempting to provide sensitive national defense information to China, the Department of Justice announced Tuesday.
Joseph Daniel Schmidt, 31, pleaded guilty in June to attempting to deliver national defense information and retaining national defense information. In addition to his prison sentence, Schmidt will serve three years of supervised release.
According to court documents, Schmidt served in the U.S. Army from January 2015 to January 2020, with his last post at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state. During his service, he had access to classified defense materials. He left the Army following a mental health episode.
After his discharge, Schmidt began reaching out to Chinese government representatives, including the Chinese Consulate in Turkey and Chinese intelligence officials. Prosecutors said he offered to share sensitive U.S. military information.
In March 2020, Schmidt traveled to Hong Kong, where he continued communicating with Chinese authorities. He allegedly created documents detailing “high-level secrets” about U.S. military operations and security systems.
Investigators also found that Schmidt possessed a secure access device capable of connecting to restricted U.S. military networks. He offered the device to Chinese officials to help them gain entry into those systems.
Schmidt remained in China for several years on a work visa before returning to the United States in October 2023, when he was arrested upon arrival at San Francisco International Airport.
U.S. Attorney Neil Floyd condemned Schmidt’s actions in a statement following the sentencing:
“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,” Floyd said. “These cases remain a priority for our office to keep our country safe.”
The Justice Department emphasized that protecting classified military information remains one of its top national security priorities.
