Jian Zhao - Active Duty U.S. Sergeant Charged with Selling Secrets to China

Jian Zhao, an active-duty U.S. Army sergeant stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state, was charged on March 6, 2025, with selling sensitive military and national defense information to individuals working on behalf of China. According to court records unsealed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, Zhao, a battery supply sergeant with the 17th Field Artillery Brigade, allegedly engaged in a conspiracy from July 2024 until his arrest, involving the theft and sale of classified materials.

Zhao is accused of selling nearly two dozen hard drives, some labeled “SECRET” and “TOP SECRET,” along with an encrypted military computer and sensitive documents. These materials included information about the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) and U.S. military readiness in the event of a conflict with China. Prosecutors allege that Zhao negotiated with a co-conspirator based in Changchun, China, receiving at least $15,000 in payments, including $10,000 specifically for the hard drives. In one exchange, Zhao reportedly offered sensitive documents for $3,000 to $4,000 each, eventually settling on $6,500 for two documents after haggling with the buyer.

Court documents reveal that Zhao photographed military documents at his desk using a smartphone while simultaneously communicating with his co-conspirator, providing evidence of his intent to sell the information. Surveillance photos included in the records show him actively documenting the materials. Zhao allegedly told his co-conspirator, “I have many computer hard drives… It may not be possible to check the contents… Do you understand unclassified and secret?” indicating an awareness of the sensitive nature of the materials he was handling.

Federal prosecutors have highlighted Zhao’s ties to China as a significant concern, noting that he expressed a strong desire to return there, reportedly telling an associate, “Damn it, I really want to go back to China.” A detention memo filed by prosecutors argues that Zhao’s actions—selling vital national security information for profit—make him a flight risk, and they suspect he maintains a hidden warehouse containing additional sensitive materials, the location of which remains unknown. They also believe he may have taken other classified information, though its current whereabouts and recipients are unclear.

Zhao faces charges of conspiring to obtain and transmit national defense information, bribery, and theft of government property. His arrest is part of a broader crackdown, as two other individuals—First Lt. Li Tian, another active-duty soldier at the same base, and Ruoyu Duan, a former soldier—were also charged in a related but separate indictment in Oregon for conspiring to sell sensitive military data, including details about armored vehicles like the Bradley and Stryker, to China.

This case adds to a series of recent incidents involving U.S. military personnel accused of compromising national security. For instance, in March 2024, Sgt. Korbein Schultz, an intelligence analyst, was charged with selling classified documents to a contact in China for $42,000, later pleading guilty in August 2024. The recurring nature of these incidents has raised concerns about espionage and the security of sensitive military information within the U.S. armed forces. Zhao’s actions, if proven, represent a significant breach of trust, given his role managing over $55 million worth of Army property, and underscore ongoing challenges in safeguarding national defense secrets. 17GEN4.com