A former U.S. Army Sergeant, Joseph Daniel Schmidt, has pleaded guilty in a Seattle federal court to charges related to attempting to share military secrets with China. Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller announced that Schmidt admitted guilt to two felonies: attempt to deliver national defense information and retention of national defense information.
Schmidt, 31, who was stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) in Washington during his service from January 2015 to January 2020, is facing up to ten years in prison. He is scheduled for sentencing by U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour on September 9, 2025.
Court records indicate that after leaving the military, Schmidt contacted the Chinese Consulate in Turkey and Chinese security services via email offering classified defense information. In March 2020, he traveled to Hong Kong and continued these efforts by creating documents detailing "high level secrets" for the Chinese government. Additionally, he retained a device capable of accessing secure military networks and offered it to Chinese authorities.
Schmidt remained mostly in Hong Kong until October 2023 when he returned to the United States and was arrested at San Francisco airport.
The offenses carry penalties of up to ten years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine each. The FBI conducted the investigation with support from the U.S. Army Counterintelligence Command.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd Greenberg is leading the prosecution.
