Ex-Army Sergeant Sentenced to 4 Years for Offering Secrets to China

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A federal judge sentenced a former Army intelligence sergeant to 4 years in prison on Tuesday for offering national defense secrets to China. Sergeant Joseph Daniel Schmidt, who had top secret clearance, served in western Washington at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, where he worked in military intelligence.

According to court documents, he served in the Army from January 2015 to January 2020. Schmidt was discharged after a mental health episode in late 2019.

The judge said he considered Schmidt’s mental health as well as the seriousness of the crime in sentencing him to 4 years in prison. Schmidt’s public defender requested that he be sentenced for time served, arguing that the crime was the result of schizophrenia. Schmidt mistakenly believed he was “subject to a mind control network operated by the FBI and [was] hoping to warn the Chinese government about the Program,” according to the public defender Dennis Carroll.

In the Army, Schmidt led a team that de-briefed and interrogated potential intelligence sources. His work gave him access to intelligence collection and reporting systems. After being discharged, he kept a device that gave him access to secure military computer networks. He later offered the device to Chinese authorities for them to access the secure system.

“He used his training to provide sensitive information to the Chinese security service. He knew what he was doing was wrong—he was doing web searches for such things as ‘Can you be extradited for treason,’” said Assistant United States Attorney Todd Greenberg in a statement.

In February 2020, Schmidt flew to Turkey. Court documents state that while there, he searched online about defecting from the United States. He also emailed the Chinese consulate offering to share information with a Chinese official in person.

Schmidt then went to Hong Kong in March 2020 and lived there and in China until October 2023. While in China, he attempted to contact Chinese officials, and made an in person visit to the Chinese Ministry of State Security (MSS).

Schmidt used his knowledge of army intelligence to create documents describing U.S. military intelligence work. In one of the documents, titled High Level Secrets, he clearly stated his intention for the MSS to receive the document.

“As a soldier, Mr. Schmidt swore an oath to protect the United States and its citizens who, in turn, entrusted him with their security and the secrets necessary to defend it,” said W. Mike Herrington, special agent in charge of the FBI Seattle field office. “Instead of upholding that trust, he betrayed it by handing over classified information to China.”

On Oct. 6, 2023, Schmidt flew back to the United States and was arrested at the airport. His behavior in custody prompted a mental health evaluation, after which he was referred for treatment. He pleaded guilty in June 2025.