SEATTLE—Joseph Daniel Schmidt, 31, a former United States Army Sergeant previously stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) in Washington, on Wednesday, June 18, pled guilty in U.S. District Court in Seattle to two federal charges: attempting to deliver national defense information and retaining national defense information. Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller announced the plea. Schmidt faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison at his sentencing, scheduled for September 9, 2025, before U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour.
Court records indicate Schmidt served as an active-duty soldier from January 2015 to January 2020, primarily with the 109th Military Intelligence Battalion at JBLM, where he had access to SECRET and TOP SECRET information. After leaving the military, Schmidt contacted the Chinese Consulate in Turkey and Chinese security services via email, offering national defense information.
In March 2020, Schmidt traveled to Hong Kong and continued efforts to share classified information obtained during his military service with Chinese intelligence. He produced documents detailing “high level secrets” and retained a device enabling access to secure military networks, which he offered to Chinese authorities to aid their access to such networks.
Schmidt remained in China, primarily Hong Kong, until October 2023, when he arrived in San Francisco and was arrested at the airport.
Each charge carries a potential penalty of up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The FBI led the investigation, with support from the U.S. Army Counterintelligence Command. Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd Greenberg is prosecuting the case, with assistance from the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.
Recent Criminal Cases Involving Joint Base Lewis-McChord Military Personnel
Over the past four years, several JBLM military personnel and veterans have been arrested or pled guilty to charges ranging from national security violations or sexual abuse against children.
In March 2025, active-duty U.S. Army Sergeant Jian Zhao, stationed at JBLM, was arrested and charged with conspiring to obtain and transmit national defense information, bribery, and theft of government property. Zhao allegedly sold sensitive military documents to an individual in China for $4,500, with surveillance footage capturing him photographing restricted documents in October 2024. The case remains under investigation.
Also in March 2025, 1st Lieutenant Li Tian, another active-duty JBLM soldier, was arrested alongside former JBLM soldier Ruoyu Duan. Both were charged with conspiring to commit bribery and theft of government property. Tian allegedly sent military documents to a Chinese national, receiving $1,500 via a PayPal account in China, while Duan facilitated the transactions. The two were indicted in Oregon, and their cases are ongoing.
In January 2025, former U.S. Army Major Michael Stockin, a military doctor at JBLM, pleaded guilty to 36 counts of abusive sexual contact and five counts of indecent viewing. Stockin admitted to sexually abusing 41 male soldiers and was sentenced to over 13 years in prison, ordered to forfeit all pay and allowances, and dismissed from the Army.
In June 2023, a former JBLM soldier, whose identity was not disclosed in available reports, was sentenced to 30 years in prison for raping two young children at multiple military bases, including JBLM. Limited details are available about the individual or specific circumstances of the case.
Most recently, on June 2, 2025, veterans Levi Austin Frakes and Charles Ethan Fields, both former JBLM soldiers, were arrested following an assault and robbery at the 75th Ranger Central Operations Facility at JBLM. The pair allegedly attacked a soldier with a hammer and stole gear on June 1, 2025. They face federal charges of robbery, assault, and theft of government property, as well as state charges for unlawful possession of incendiary devices, short-barreled rifles, and a machine gun. Evidence recovered from their home included weapons, explosives, Army-issued equipment, and Nazi memorabilia. Both are held on $500,000 bail in Thurston County Jail as of June 5, 2025.
Author: Mario Lotmore
