>The name of this emoji is 'Direct Hit'
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>>23134804 Betraying America is not an act of ‘resistance,’ it’s a crime
U.S. government employee arrested for attempting to provide classified information to foreign government
Thursday, May 29, 2025
For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Virginia
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – An IT specialist employed by the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) was arrested today for attempting to transmit national defense information to an officer or agent of a foreign government.
Nathan Vilas Laatsch, 28, of Alexandria, was arrested in northern Virginia and will make his initial court appearance tomorrow.
According to court documents, Laatsch became a civilian employee of the DIA in 2019, where he works with the Insider Threat Division and holds a Top Secret security clearance. In March, the FBI commenced an operation after receiving a tip that an individual - now known to be Laatsch - offered to provide classified information to a friendly foreign government. In that email, the sender wrote that he did not “agree or align with the values of this administration” and was therefore “willing to share classified information” to which he had access, including “completed intelligence products, some unprocessed intelligence, and other assorted classified documentation.”
After multiple communications with an FBI agent - who Laatsch allegedly believed to be an official of the foreign government - Laatsch began transcribing classified information to a notepad at his desk and, over the course of approximately three days, repeatedly exfiltrated the information from his workspace. Laatsch subsequently confirmed to the FBI agent that he was prepared to transmit the information.
The FBI implemented an operation at a public park in northern Virgina where Laatsch believed he would deposit the classified information for the foreign government to retrieve. On May 1, FBI surveillance observed Laatsch proceed to the specified location and deposit an item. Following Laatsch’s departure, the FBI retrieved the item, which was a thumb drive later found to contain a message from Laatsch and multiple typed documents, each containing information that was portion-marked up to the Secret or Top Secret levels. The message from Laatsch indicated that he had chosen to include “a decent sample size” of classified information to “decently demonstrate the range of types of products” to which he had access.
After receiving confirmation that the thumb drive had been received, on May 7, Laatsch allegedly sent a message to the FBI agent, which indicated Laatsch was seeking something from the foreign government in return for continuing to provide classified information. The next day, Laatsch specified that he was interested in “citizenship for your country” because he did not “expect[] things here to improve in the long term.” Although he said he was “not opposed to other compensation,” he was not in a position where he needed to seek “material compensation.”
On May 14, the FBI agent advised Laatsch that it was prepared to receive additional classified information. Between May 15 and May 27, Laatsch again repeatedly transcribed multiple pages of notes while logged into his classified workstation, folded the notes, and exfiltrated the classified information in his clothing.
On May 29, Laatsch arrived at a prearranged location in northern Virginia, where Laatsch again allegedly attempted to transmit multiple classified documents to the foreign country. Laatsch was arrested upon the FBI’s receipt of the documents.
Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Sue J. Bai, head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division; Roman Rozhavsky, Assistant Director of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division; Steven J. Jensen, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office; and Lee M. Russ, Executive Director of Air Force Office of Special Investigations (OSI) Office of Special Projects, made the announcement.
The FBI Washington Field Office is investigating the case, with valuable assistance provided by the U.S. Air Force OSI.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Gordon Kromberg for the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorneys Christina Clark and Mark Murphy of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case.
A criminal complaint is merely an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Contact
Press Officer
USAVAE.Press@usdoj.gov
Updated May 29, 2025
> https://www.justice.gov/usao-edva/pr/us-government-employee-arrested-attempting-provide-classified-information-foreign
> U.S. government employee arrested for attempting to provide classified information to foreign government
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Travel isn’t just about where you go—it’s about who you become along the way.
At Quality Time Tour Co, I design and guide small group journeys that invite people to connect, reflect, and grow. With over 6 years of professional travel experience and a 20-year background in education, I bring both curiosity and care to every trip. My work as an educator taught me how powerful shared experiences can be—and that’s exactly what I aim to create for families and friends on the road.
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wonder why they haven't mentioned which foreign government?
Nathan Laatsch, 28, an IT specialist with the Defense Intelligence Agency, is accused of attempting to provide classified information to a friendly foreign government, according to the Department of Justice.
Alexandria Sheriff's Office
Intelligence agency IT specialist charged with attempting to provide classified information to foreign government
Nathan Laatsch was allegedly recorded taking notes and hiding them in his socks.
ByAlexander Mallin
May 30, 2025, 9:48 AM
7:33
Pentagon leaker Jack Teixeira speaks out from prison for the 1st time (Exclusive)
Pentagon leaker Jack Teixeira speaks out from prison for the 1st time (Exclusive)ABC News’ Linsey Davis speaks with Jack Teixeria, who was sentenced to 15 years on federal charges for disclosing defense information. He says he doesn't feel he betrayed his country.
An IT specialist employed by the Defense Intelligence Agency was arrested Thursday and charged with attempting to provide classified information to a friendly foreign government, the Justice Department announced.
The FBI said it began an investigation into 28-year-old Nathan Laatsch in March after receiving a tip he offered to provide classified information to a foreign government because according to the tipster Laatsch did not "agree or align with the values of this administration" and was willing to share "completed intelligence products, some unprocessed intelligence, and other assorted classified documentation."
The foreign country Laatsch is accused of trying to contact is not identified in court documents.
In communications with an undercover agent with the FBI, posing as an emissary of the foreign country, Laatsch is alleged to have transcribed classified information into a notepad at his desk over a three-day period that he told the agent he was ready to provide.
Video from inside the DIA facility where Laatsch worked showed him writing multiple pages of notes, which he folded into squares and hid in his socks, according to an affidavit filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.
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Another DIA employee saw Laatsch placing multiple notebook pages in the bottom of his lunchbox, according to the affidavit.
The FBI then conducted an operation on May 1 in which Laatsch agreed to drop the classified information via thumb drive at a designated spot in a public park in northern Virginia, according to the charging documents.
The drive allegedly contained information that was designated at both the Secret and Top Secret classification levels. Laatsch contacted the agent roughly a week later and said he was interested in citizenship to the unnamed country because he did not "expect things here to improve in the long term," according to the documents.
Laatsch again then allegedly attempted to prepare classified information to provide to the agent and in an operation earlier Thursday, he arrived at a location in northern Virginia where he was taken into custody, according to the documents.
Laatsch's arrest comes amid broader concern among current and former intelligence officials that individuals with access to high-value classified information may use the current moment of disarray and consternation in the intel community to try and sell information to foreign governments for profit.
Laatsch, who was hired by the Defense Intelligence Agency in August 2019, most recently worked as a data scientist and IT specialist for information security in the agency's Insider Threat Division, according to court documents.
Online court records do not yet list an attorney for Laatsch.
https://abcnews.go.com/US/intelligence-agency-specialist-charged-attempting-provide-classified-information/story?id=122329650