He worked for the FBI which is a law enforcement agency. So maybe cops vs civilians, not military vs civilians.
I noticed Q posted a link to the crime of 'Conspiracy to defraud the United States", which specifically says, "[i]f two or more persons conspire…" Clinesmith is supposedly pleading guilty to a lesser charge of making a false statement. If the DOJ had him on a conspiracy charge that means:
a) there were 2 more persons involved.
b) Clinesmith likely flipped on other persons to get the plea deal.