Army veteran accused of sharing military secrets with journalist
Army veteran accused of sharing military secrets with journalist
Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAYThu, April 9, 2026 at 3:39 PM UTC
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A U.S. Army veteran has been arrested and is facing criminal charges for allegedly sharing top-secret information to a journalist over a near four-year period.
Courtney P. Williams, a former United States Special Operations Command member, was indicted by a grand jury on April 8 and charged with violating the Espionage Act in connection to the alleged transmission of classified national defense information to the journalist, federal court records reviewed by USA TODAY show.
According to a release from the U.S. Department of Justice, FBI agents arrested Williams, 40, on April 7.
Williams, who FBI Director Kash Patel said supported the nation's top-level military warfighters, was being held without bond pending an April 13 detention hearing in Raleigh, North Carolina.
After Williams' indictment, Patel praised "outstanding work" in the case by the FBI, as well as its partners with the Justice Department .
"Let this serve as a message to any would-be leakers: we’re working these cases, and we’re making arrests," Patel wrote in an April 8 X post. "This FBI will not tolerate those who seek to betray our country and put Americans in harm’s way."
A Rangers sniper team competes in the USASOC International Sniper Competition at Fort Bragg on Wednesday, March 18, 2026.
According to a criminal complaint filed in United States District Court, from January 2022 through August 2025, Williams, who signed an non-disclosure agreement when hired, "repeatedly communicated classified national defense information" to the journalist via telephone and text messages.
Court documents do not identify the journalist or the outlet they worked for.
"We trust our war fighting individuals to cooperate as a team to protect our military and country," said U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina Ellis Boyle. "We will pursue criminal charges to keep these warriors safe whenever we find leakers exalting their own feelings over the safety of the United States."
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Army vet accused of leaking top-secret info to journalist
Court papers show that from 2010 to 2016, Williams worked for a special military unit, held a top-secret security clearance, and had "daily access to a broad range of classified information."
The journalist, charging documents show, identified themselves as member of the media to Williams and said she sought information about the special military unit Williams was a part of, in connection with an upcoming article and book.
The complaint does not say which outlet published the article or the name of the book.
"After these communications with Williams, the journalist published a book and article that named Williams as a source and attributed specific statements to her," the complaint continues, adding some of the statements contained classified national defense information.
On the day the article and book were published, Williams allegedly exchanged additional messages with the journalist, including one where Williams wrote she was "concerned about the amount of classified information being disclosed," according to the complaint.
In a separate message to a third party reportedly involved in the case, Williams allegedly wrote, "I might actually get arrested . . . for disclosing classified information."
The office of the federal public defender, representing Williams, could not immediately be reached by USA TODAY.
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: US Army veteran charged with leaking classified info to journalist
Source: “AOL General News”
