Current:Home > ContactProsecutors say US Army analyst accused of selling military secrets to China used crypto -BeyondProfit Compass
Prosecutors say US Army analyst accused of selling military secrets to China used crypto
View
Date:2025-04-15 22:53:32
The US Army analyst accused of selling military secrets to China – including details about advanced aircraft and intercontinental ballistic missiles – pleaded not guilty at his first appearance in court Friday morning in Nashville, Tennessee.
Sgt. Korbein Schultz, 24, was arrested at his post Thursday hours before the six-count federal indictment against him was unsealed.
Prosecutors allege that since June 2022, Schultz, an intelligence analyst, had been selling sensitive U.S. military information to someone in Hong Kong who worked for a geopolitical consulting firm. He shared information about advanced military helicopters, high-mobility artillery rocket systems, defensive missile systems and Chinese military tactics, according to the indictment. He is accused of receiving $42,000 in exchange for the information, prosecutors said.
Schultz walked into U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara D. Holmes' courtroom just before noon Friday wearing a dark khaki shirt, black pants and tan boots. His shirt was stretched and distressed at the neck. His hair was in a typical Army cut, and he had tattoos on both forearms. He was shackled at the ankles in orange cuffs.
Schultz appeared despondent when entering and kept his eyes down when seated before the hearing began —except for glances to the gallery where four reporters, a handful of lawyers and a defendant for an upcoming case were seated. None of Schultz's family was present in the courtroom.
Holmes read the charges against Schultz and the maximum sentence each count carries if convicted. Conspiracy to gather, transmit or lose defense information, count 1 in the indictment, carries a maximum 10-year prison sentence if convicted.
All three counts of unlawful export of defense articles, as well as the corresponding conspiracy charge, carry a maximum of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine. The count of bribery of a public official carries a maximum of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Read the indictment:Tennessee soldier accused of selling military secrets to China
Schultz was represented by Mary-Kathryn Harcombe, a public defender in Nashville, but he will likely be appointed new counsel. Harcombe told Holmes she believed Schultz qualified based on income and assets for a court-appointed lawyer. Assistant U.S. Attorney Josh Kurtzman was there for the government.
Holmes said that a hearing over whether Schultz will remain in custody until trial will be held before U.S. Magistrate Judge Alistair Newbern. That hearing will likely occur sometime next week.
Prosecutors wrote in a motion that they worry that if released, Schultz may flee to the alleged coconspirator in China. As late as Thursday, prosecutors said they learned Schultz and the conspirator began using cryptocurrency to further hide their tracks.
"[I]t appears that Schultz has a valid passport, (the conspirator) has unlimited resources to enable Schultz' flight from prosecution, and, based on the seriousness of the charges he is facing, Schultz has every incentive to flee," they wrote. "... Were the defendant to flee to Hong Kong, it would be practically impossible to extradite him back to the United States."
They also worry that Schultz may threaten or intimidate potential witnesses if released. Federal agents interviewed several people with professional or personal connections to Schultz on Thursday who provided information "material to the investigation," prosecutors said.
Schultz was handcuffed and exited the court less than 30 minutes after entering.
Evan Mealins is the justice reporter for The Tennessean, part of the USA Today Network. Contact him at emealins@gannett.com or follow him on X @EvanMealins.
veryGood! (64756)
Related
- A South Texas lawmaker’s 15
- Millie Bobby Brown Enters the Vanderpump Universe in the Most Paws-itively Adorable Way
- Judy Blume Forever Trailer Will Leave You Blubbering With Nostalgia
- California Approves A Pilot Program For Driverless Rides
- Federal court filings allege official committed perjury in lawsuit tied to Louisiana grain terminal
- Russia arrests Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, accuses him of spying for U.S.
- Vanessa Bryant Returns to Lakers Arena for First Time Since Kobe and Gianna's Memorial
- This Jeopardy! Mistake Might Be the Game Show's Biggest Flub Yet
- EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
- Jeff Bezos Built Amazon 27 Years Ago. He Now Steps Down As CEO At Critical Time
Ranking
- This was the average Social Security benefit in 2004, and here's what it is now
- A Ransomware Attack Hit Up To 1,500 Businesses. A Cybersecurity Expert On What's Next
- Hacks Are Prompting Calls For A Cyber Agreement, But Reaching One Would Be Tough
- Get 2 Peter Thomas Roth Anti-Aging Cleansing Gels for the Price of 1
- 'Most Whopper
- Pope Francis improving, to be discharged from hospital on Saturday, Vatican says
- Drug trafficking blamed as homicides soar in Costa Rica
- Tuesday's Internet Outage Was Caused By One Customer Changing A Setting, Fastly Says
Recommendation
Rylee Arnold Shares a Long
Alibaba is splitting company into 6 business groups
FKA twigs Reveals Her Romance With Jordan Hemingway to Take “Control of the Situation”
Tori Kelly Hospitalized for Blood Clots After Collapsing at Los Angeles Restaurant
Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
Baby Products That I Use in My Own Beauty Routine as an Adult With Sensitive Skin
Little boy abandoned in Egyptian church finally back with foster parents after yearlong battle
FKA twigs Reveals Her Romance With Jordan Hemingway to Take “Control of the Situation”