Who Got Caught
CUI Convictions
WHO:  Taylor Adam Lee, 22, Active Duty (Army) 

Arrested and Charged

WHAT:  Arrested on charges of attempted transmission of national defense information to a foreign adversary and attempted export of controlled technical data without a license.  At an in-person meeting between Lee and who he believed to be a representative of the Russian government, Lee allegedly passed an SD card to the individual. Lee proceeded to provide a detailed overview of the documents and information contained on the SD card, including documents and information on the M1A2 Abrams, another armored fighting vehicle used by the U.S. military, and combat operations. Several of these documents contained controlled technical data that Lee did not have the authorization to provide. Other documents on the SD card were marked as Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI), and featured banner warnings and dissemination controls. 

A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

WHO:  Wenheng Zhao (aka Thomas Zhao), 26
            U.S. Navy

SENTENCE:  27 months in prison; fined $5,500 for transmitting sensitive U.S. military information to an intelligence officer from the People's Republic of China.

WHAT:  Between August 2021 and at least May 2023, Zhao received at least $14,866 in 14 separate bribe payments from the intelligence officer, who directed Zhao to surreptitious collect and transmit sensitive U.S. military information and offered to pay Zhao bonuses for controlled and classified information.  In exchange for the illicit payments, Zhao repeatedly entered restricted military and naval installations to secretly collect non-public information regarding U.S. Navy operational security, military trainings and exercises, and critical infrastructure and used encrypted communications to transmit that sensitive, non-public information to the intelligence officer. 

WHO:    Korbein Schultz, 25
             Former U.S. Army Intelligence Analyst

SENTENCE:  84 months in prison for conspiring to collect and transmit national defense information, unlawfully exporting controlled information to China, and accepting bribes in exchange of sensitive, non-public U.S. government information.

WHAT:  According to court documents, between May 2022 until his arrest in March 2024, Schultz engaged in an ongoing conspiracy to provide dozens of sensitive U.S. military documents — many containing export-controlled tactical and technical information — directly to a foreign national residing in the People’s Republic of China. Despite clear indications that this individual, who is referenced in the Indictment as Conspirator A, was likely connected to the Chinese government, the defendant continued the relationship in exchange for financial compensation. In exchange for approximately $42,000, Schultz provided documents and data related to U.S. military capabilities.