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https://www.stripes.com/theaters/us/2025-06-20/lewis-mcchord-soldier-spy-china-18189407.html
Joseph Daniel Schmidt, 31, faces penalties of up to 10 years in jail and a $250,000 fine for each count of retention of national security information and attempt to deliver national security information, the U.S. attorney for the Western District of Washington said.
Schmidt’s guilty plea was entered Wednesday during a hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Brian Tsuchida at the U.S. District Court for Western Washington in Seattle. He is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 9.
Schmidt was a team leader in the human intelligence section of the 109th Military Intelligence Battalion at the Army-Air Force base from January 2015 to January 2020, according to court records. The unit provided intelligence to I Corps, the Army’s Indo-Pacific command, based at Lewis-McChord, which is 40 miles south of Seattle.
In his position, Schmidt had access to secret U.S. military information. He learned to speak Mandarin during his time in the Army and traveled at least once to China while off duty.
After leaving the Army in early 2020, Schmidt contacted the Chinese Consulate in Turkey and visited Istanbul to interest Chinese intelligence officers in documents that he had taken from the Army. He also emailed Chinese security forces offering to turn over national defense information.
Schmidt moved to Hong Kong in March 2020 and contacted Chinese intelligence services again trying to pass classified information. He also offered to turn over a device that allows for access to secure U.S. military computer systems.
In addition to the documents, Schmidt sought a position with the Chinese as an intelligence or security asset. During his time in China, he traveled to Beijing. Schmidt emailed information to news media in China affiliated with the government.
Schmidt’s case file offered little insight into his motivation beyond an e-mail that he sent to his sister.