FORT CAMPBELL, KY (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – A former Fort Campbell soldier and intelligence analyst was sentenced on Wednesday to seven years in prison for conspiring to sell military secrets to a person he believed to be affiliated with the Chinese government.

Korbein Schultz, a U.S. Army soldier and intelligence analyst, was arrested in March at Fort Campbell following an indictment by a federal grand jury. Schultz, 25, of Wills Point, Texas, pleaded guilty in August 2024 to conspiring to collect and transmit national defense information, unlawfully exporting controlled information to China, and accepting bribes in exchange of sensitive, non-public U.S. government information.

“This defendant swore an oath to defend the United States — instead, he betrayed it for a payout and put America’s military and service members at risk,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi in a news release. “The Justice Department remains vigilant against China’s efforts to target our military and will ensure that those who leak military secrets spend years behind bars.”

He faced up to 20 years on two of the charges, 15 on another and 10 on another. Partially in consideration of his plea, he was sentenced to 7.

“This sentencing is a stark warning to those who betray our country: you will pay a steep price for it,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “The People’s Republic of China is relentless in its efforts to steal our national defense information, and service members are a prime target. The FBI and our partners will continue to root out espionage and hold those accountable who abandon their obligation to safeguard defense information from hostile foreign governments.”

The conspiracy

From June 2022 until the time of his arrest, Schultz conspired with an individual, identified as Conspirator A, to disclose documents, writings, plans, maps, notes and photographs relating to national defense as well as information relating to national defense that Schultz “had reason to believe could be used to injure the United States or used to the advantage of a foreign nation,” according to previous Clarksville Now reports.

Conspirator A recruited Schultz, who possessed a Top Secret security clearance, and frequently tasked him to gather documents and sensitive U.S. military information. Specifically, Conspirator A tasked Schultz with gathering information related to a variety of U.S. military weapons systems, including related to the United States’ potential plans in the event that Taiwan came under military attack. Some of the information Schultz provided to Conspirator A included documents related to the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), information on hypersonic equipment, studies on the future development of U.S. military forces, studies on major countries such as the People’s Republic of China, and summaries of military drills and operations.

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In exchange for the documents and information, Conspirator A made at least 14 payments to Schultz that totaled approximately $42,000, the release said. Throughout the conspiracy, Conspirator A represented to Schultz that he lived in Hong Kong and worked for a geopolitical consulting firm based overseas.

Schultz also sent Conspirator A three documents that violated the Arms Export Control Act (AECA). The three documents included an Air Force Tactics Techniques and Procedures manual for the HH-60W helicopter, an Air Force Tactics Techniques and Procedures manual for the F22-A fighter aircraft, and an Air Force Tactics Techniques and Procedures manual for intercontinental ballistic missiles, the news release said.

Soldiers put at risk ‘for a few bucks’

“Those who collaborate with America’s foreign adversaries put our country, and those who defend it, at grave risk and we will do whatever it takes to hold them accountable for their crimes,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Robert E. McGuire for the Middle District of Tennessee. “We will proudly stand in support of our men and women in uniform and work diligently to protect them from people like the defendant who would sell them out for a few bucks.”

“Protecting classified information is paramount to our national security, and this sentencing reflects the ramifications when there is a breach of that trust,” said Brigadier General Rhett R. Cox, Commanding General of the Army Counterintelligence Command. “This soldier’s actions put Army personnel at risk placing individual gain above personal honor. Army Counterintelligence Command, in close collaboration with the Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Intelligence Community, remains steadfast in our commitment to safeguarding our nation’s secrets and urges all current and former Army personnel to report any suspicious contact immediately.”

The FBI’s Nashville Field Office investigated the case, with assistance from the U.S. Army Counterintelligence Command and the Department of Defense. Assistant U.S. Attorney Josh Kurtzman for the Middle District of Tennessee and Trial Attorneys Adam Barry and Christopher Cook of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section prosecuted the case.

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