SEATTLE — A former U.S. Army sergeant who was last stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) pleaded guilty after attempting to share military secrets with China.
31-year-old Joseph Daniel Schmidt pleaded guilty to two federal felonies for trying to give over national defense information and retaining national defense information.
According to a press release sent out by U.S. Attorney’s Office, Schmidt reached out to the Chinese Consulate in Turkey and later the Chinese security services after his separation from the military in 2020.
They say he contacted the Chinese security services over email to offer national defense information.
In March 2020, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said that Schmidt flew to Hong Kong to hand over classified information he obtained during his military service to Chinese intelligence.
Schmidt is accused of offering the Chinese government documents that he described as high-level intelligence secrets and a device that gave access to military computer networks.
He was arrested at the airport in San Francisco after spending over two years in Hong Kong.
Schmidt is scheduled to be sentenced on September 9.
He could face up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
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