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:2025-04-24 15:00:15
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! (67849)
Related
- Trump's 'stop
- Neckties, long shunned in Iran as a sign of Westernization, are making a timid comeback
- How Riley Keough's Husband Ben Smith-Petersen Played a Role in Daisy Jones and The Six
- Ariana Madix Supported by Kristen Doute and More VPR Co-Stars After Tom Sandoval Split
- Louvre will undergo expansion and restoration project, Macron says
- Emma Heming Willis Shares Heartwarming Throwback Video of Her Biggest Fan Bruce Willis
- Climate change time bomb requires quantum leap in action by all countries now, U.N. warns
- Putin visits occupied city of Mariupol in Ukraine
- Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
- Hoda Kotb Reflects on Daughter Hope's Really Scary Health Journey After ICU Stay
Ranking
- IRS recovers $4.7 billion in back taxes and braces for cuts with Trump and GOP in power
- Did RHOBH's Erika Jayne Just Announce a Las Vegas Show? See Her Big Career News
- Rubio says Russian jet collision with U.S. drone was deliberate effort and direct test of Biden administration
- Banking fears spread to German giant Deusche Bank
- Spooky or not? Some Choa Chu Kang residents say community garden resembles cemetery
- China's Xi to visit Putin in Moscow as Beijing seeks larger global role
- Kelsea Ballerini and Chase Stokes Are Rolling Out the Welcome Mat on Their New Romance
- Succession's New Trailer Promises a Knife Fight for Its 4th and Final Season
Recommendation
B.A. Parker is learning the banjo
The Moving Trailer for Netflix's Emergency NYC Shows the Intense World of the City's Medical Pros
This Iconic Tarte Concealer Sells Once Every 12 Seconds and It’s on Sale for 30% Off
Kerry Washington Shares Rare Insight Into Family Life With Nnamdi Asomugha
Nearly half of US teens are online ‘constantly,’ Pew report finds
How Matthew Rhys Figured Out His Perry Mason Season 2 Performance “In Real Time”
Vanderpump Rules' Raquel Leviss Tried Making Out With Tom Schwartz Before Infamous Mexico Kiss
Vanderpump Rules' Tom Sandoval Breaks Silence on Ariana Madix Split