On Thursday, March 6, Attorney General Pam Bondi’s Department of Justice (DOJ) issued a historic press release announcing that three US soldiers, two of whom were on active duty, had been arrested by FBI Director Kash Patel on charges of treason and theft of national property.
“Jian Zhao and Li Tian, active-duty U.S. Army soldiers stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, along with Ruoyu Duan, a former U.S. Army soldier, were arrested today following indictments by federal grand juries in the District of Oregon and the Western District of Washington,” the statement said at the outset, naming the three accused traitors. In the District of Oregon, Tian and Duan were accused of plotting to steal government property and corrupt people. Zhao was charged in the Western District of Washington with bribery and theft of government property in addition to conspiring to collect and send national defense information to an unauthorized recipient.
“The indictment in the District of Oregon alleges that beginning on or about Nov. 28, 2021, and continuing to at least on or about Dec. 19, 2024, Duan and Tian along with others, known and unknown to the grand jury, conspired with each other to surreptitiously gather sensitive military information related to the United States Army’s operational capabilities, including technical manuals and other sensitive information, and that Tian transmitted this information to Duan in return for money, in violation of his official duties as an active-duty U.S. Army officer,” the statement reads, outlining the treasonous acts they allegedly committed later on. Tian was specifically charged with obtaining and relaying to Duan information about U.S. military weapon systems, such as the Bradley and Stryker fighting vehicles used by the U.S. Army.
Furthermore, the statement added, “The Western District of Washington indictment alleges that Jian Zhao, an active-duty U.S. Army Supply Sergeant, conspired with others known and unknown to the grand jury to obtain and transmit national defense information to individuals based in China beginning in or about July 2024, and continuing to the date of the arrest.” Zhao is also accused of stealing government property and engaging in bribes.
“In particular, Zhao was charged for his conspiracy to collect and transmit several classified hard drives, including hard drives marked “SECRET” and “TOP SECRET,” negotiating with individuals based in China for their sale, and agreeing to send the classified hard drives to the individuals in China,” the statement added, highlighting the type of highly classified technology that one of the defendants was allegedly providing to the Communist Chinese. Zhao got at least $10,000 in return for selling the listed hard drives.
The statement went on to say, “Zhao is further accused of conspiring to sell sensitive U.S. military documents and information, including information related to the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) and information related to U.S. military readiness in the event of a conflict with the People’s Republic of China, as well as an encryption-capable computer that was stolen from the U.S. Government.” In exchange for cash, Zhao is accused of breaching his obligations as a public official and U.S. Army soldier to safeguard classified military information. Zhao is accused of receiving and accepting at least $15,000 in improper payments overall.
“The defendants arrested today are accused of betraying our country, actively working to weaken America’s defense capabilities, and empowering our adversaries in China,” AG Bondi said in a statement regarding the case. They will face justice, she added, vowing, “They will face swift, severe, and comprehensive justice.”
