A federal judge in Seattle sentenced former Army sergeant Joseph Daniel Schmidt to four years in prison and three years of supervised release for trying to hand national defense information to the People’s Republic of China. Schmidt pleaded guilty in June to two felonies under 18 U.S.C. 793: attempting to deliver national defense information and retaining national defense information. Judge John C. Coughenour called the crimes serious and weighed Schmidt’s mental health when setting the punishment.
The Soldier and His Access
Schmidt served on active duty from 2015 to 2020 at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington with the 109th Military Intelligence Battalion. Court records identify him as a team leader in the human intelligence section supporting I Corps in the Indo-Pacific. In that role, he held access to Secret and Top Secret material. He also studied Mandarin and traveled to China while in uniform. Think of that portfolio as a ring full of keys to rooms where the lights are always off and the stakes are always high.
The Pivot to China
After leaving the Army in early 2020, Schmidt reached out to the Chinese Consulate in Turkey and later emailed Chinese security services offering what he called high-level secrets. In March 2020, he moved to Hong Kong and kept pushing for meetings. According to the Justice Department, he was granted a work visa for China 17 days after contacting the intelligence cutout. He stayed in China and Hong Kong for more than three years.
What He Tried to Hand Over
Prosecutors say Schmidt drafted multiple lengthy documents that drew on classified and national defense information from his Army work. He also kept a device that allows access to secure U.S. Army computer networks and offered it to Chinese authorities to help them break into those systems. In open court, prosecutors said he searched the web for questions like whether someone can be extradited for treason. That is the digital equivalent of walking into the town square with a shovel and asking folks where their cash is buried.
What exactly was in those documents remains sealed in broad terms. The government describes them as “high-level secrets tied to his intelligence duties”. Stars and Stripes reporting adds that Schmidt sought a job with Chinese services and emailed government-linked media while in China.
How Compromising Were the Materials
Two points matter. First, the content he created and the access device he retained were derived from classified and national defense information he learned and used in a sensitive unit. Second, investigators have not publicly confirmed that Chinese intelligence actually received the classified content. The Federal Bureau of Investigation intercepted his outreach and documented his efforts. The judge still called the conduct grave enough to merit prison even while acknowledging mental health factors.
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How He Was Caught
Schmidt’s road back ran through San Francisco International Airport. After years in Hong Kong and travel in China, his visa lapsed. He flew to the United States in October 2023, and agents arrested him on arrival. Earlier, a grand jury in Seattle had indicted him on two counts tied to national defense information. He first contested competency but was later ruled fit to proceed. He entered a guilty plea this summer.
The Conviction and the Sentence
The plea covered two counts. Attempt to deliver national defense information carries up to ten years in prison and a fine of up to 250,000 dollars. Retention of national defense information carries the same maximums. The U.S. Attorney’s Office emphasized at sentencing that Schmidt wrote documents based on classified material and tried to offer an Army network access device to a hostile service. The court imposed a four-year term followed by three years of supervised release.
Where He Will Do His Time
The Bureau of Prisons will designate the facility. The sentencing announcement does not list a prison, and placement decisions typically follow after the judgment based on security level, medical needs, and bed space.
Why This Matters
This case is a snapshot of the current counterintelligence fight in the Indo-Pacific era. A junior leader with language skills, human intelligence training, and Top Secret access tried to turn sensitive knowledge and a network access device into a ticket to a new life under Beijing’s protection. The FBI and Army counterintelligence stepped in before those materials were confirmed to have landed in Chinese hands, but the intent was clear enough for a felony conviction and real prison time.
