Former soldier charged with trying to give classified info to China

CRIME OF THE DAY

Former soldier charged with trying to give classified info to China
By Gene Johnson, The Associated Press
Oct 8, 09:59 AM
A former U.S. Army soldier has been charged with attempting to provide classified information to China's security services. (Airman 1st Class Joseph Barron/Air Force)

SEATTLE — A former U.S. Army soldier has been charged with attempting to provide classified defense information to the Chinese security services during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic — including some listed in a Microsoft Word document titled “Important Information to Share with Chinese Government.”

Authorities on Friday arrested former Sgt. Joseph Daniel Schmidt, 29, at San Francisco International Airport as he arrived from Hong Kong, where he had been living since March 2020, the Justice Department said. A federal grand jury in Seattle returned an indictment Wednesday charging him with retention and attempted delivery of national defense information.

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