Two active service US Army Soldiers And a former soldier was arrested in Oregon on Thursday for their alleged roles in collecting and sending sensitive information to individuals in China, the Ministry of Justice said.
The accused his Jian Zhao and Li Tian, ​​who were stationed on a joint base Lewis-McChord and former soldier Ruoyo Duan.
All three are accused of conspiracy to commit bribery and theft of government possession. Zhao is confronted with additional charges of conspiracy to obtain national defense information and transfer it to a person who is not authorized to receive it.
“The defendants who were arrested today are accused of betraying our country, actively working on weakening the defense capacities of America and strengthening our opponents in China,” said Attorney General Pam Bondi. “They will be confronted with fast, serious and extensive justice.”
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The Ministry of Justice announced charges against three US Army Soldiers-Twee Active Bowel and a former for their alleged roles in collecting and selling sensitive information to China. (Batata Zawrzel/Nurphoto via Getty images)
Duan and Tian are accused of conspiracy with each other to “collect secretly sensitive military information with regard to the operational capacities of the US Army” from 28 November 2021 to at least December 19, 2024, the Doj said. Information included that of technical manuals and military weapon systems, in particular Bradley and Stryker US Army Fighting vehicles.
Active-Duty Army Officer Tian was commissioned to collect the above information for former soldier Duan in exchange for money, the Doj said.
Zhao, an active sergeant of the army, is said to be conspiring to obtain national defense information and send it to people in China somewhere in July 2024.
“In particular, Zhao was sued for his conspiracy Collect and send various classified hard drives, Including hard drives marked with ‘secret’ and ‘top secrecy’, negotiating with people in China for their sale, and agree to send the classified hard drives to the individuals in China, “said the Doj.
Attorney General Bondi said that the three men who are being charged “are accused of empowering our country” in an attempt to empower China. (AP)
It is said that he received at least $ 10,000 in exchange for the classified hard drives.
He is also accused of conspiracy to sell a computer that has been stolen from the US government and sensitive military documents and information, including information related to the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (Himars) and Military willingness In the case of a conflict with China. Zhao is said to have accepted around $ 5,000 in payments for the aforementioned items.
“Zhao would have violated his duties like a soldier of the US Army and the civil servant to protect sensitive military information in exchange for money,” said the Doj.
Two of the men accused are Jian Zhao and Li Tian, ​​who were both stationed on a joint base Lewis-McChord in the state of Washington. (Stephen Brashear/Getty images)
Mike Herrington, special agent who is responsible for the FBI field office in Seattle, described the behavior of all three as ‘unconscious’.
“These arrests must send a message to potential spies that we and our partners have the will and the possibility to find you, to detect you and call you to account,” said Herrington. “Protecting the secrets of the nation, especially those needed to maintain our military benefit and to protect our troops, is one of the top priorities of the FBI.”
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FBI director Kash Patel Said that the men are “confronted with American justice” after “stealing America’s defense information capacities and empowering opponents such as China in Betrayal to our country.”
