JUST IN: FBI Arrests Former Army Special Operations Employee For Leaking Classified National Defense Information to Media
The FBI arrested a former Special Operations Command employee for leaking classified national defense information to the media.
Courtney Williams, 40, of Wagram, North Carolina, allegedly transmitted classified material to individuals not authorized to see it, including a journalist, the DOJ said.
She was arrested on Tuesday and indicted by a federal grand jury on Wednesday.
Per FBI Director Kash Patel:
FBI and our partners have arrested a former SOCOM employee, who supported our top-level military warfighters, for allegedly transmitting classified information to a member of the media.
Outstanding work by FBI Charlotte and the FBI Counterintelligence & Espionage Division – as well as our DOJ partners.
Let this serve as a message to any would-be leakers: we’re working these cases, and we’re making arrests. This FBI will not tolerate those who seek to betray our country and put Americans in harm’s way.
FBI and our partners have arrested a former SOCOM employee, who supported our top-level military warfighters, for allegedly transmitting classified information to a member of the media.
Outstanding work by @FBICharlotte and the FBI Counterintelligence & Espionage Division…
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) April 8, 2026
According to federal prosecutors, between 2022 and 2025, Williams disclosed Top Secret classified information in communication with a journalist via phone and text message.
“Clearance holders accept a solemn obligation to protect the classified information entrusted to them,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “That they do so is critical to the security of our Nation. When clearance holders violate that trust, the National Security Division will act swiftly to hold them accountable.”
“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.”
More from the Justice Department:
According to court documents, from 2010 to 2016, Williams worked for a Special Military Unit (SMU) and held a Top Secret / Sensitive Compartmented Information security clearance. As a clearance holder, Williams received training as to the proper handling, safeguarding, and storage of classified information.
Williams also signed a Classified Nondisclosure Agreement which, in relevant part, confirmed her understanding that the unauthorized disclosure of classified information could constitute a criminal offense. In her role at the SMU, Williams had daily access to a broad range of classified information.
As alleged, between 2022 and 2025, Williams repeatedly communicated with the Journalist via telephone and text messages. During this period, Williams and the Journalist had over 10 hours of telephone calls and exchanged more than 180 messages. In one such message, the Journalist identified themselves as a journalist and stated that they sought information about the SMU in support of an upcoming article and 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. Some of these statements contained classified national defense information. In addition to her disclosures to the Journalist, Williams also made unauthorized disclosures of national defense information via her social media accounts.
On the day the article and book were published, Williams exchanged several messages with the Journalist. In one such message, Williams stated that she was “concerned about the amount of classified information being disclosed.” In a separate message to a third party, Williams added that, “I might actually get arrested . . . for disclosing classified information.” In a subsequent message, Williams citied a statutory provision of the Espionage Act. And when asked how she knew that she may face legal consequences for her disclosures to the Journalist, Williams responded, “I have known my entire career,” adding that “they tell you everyday . . . 100 times a day.” Finally, in a message to a different third party, Williams stated that she was “probably going to jail for life.”
More on this story from WRAL:
BREAKING: The former SOCOM employee arrested for leaking classified secrets to “journalists” has been identified as Courtney Williams, a US Army veteran
Give her the MAXIMUM penalty.
Putting our troops’ lives at risk should be met HARSH punishments! pic.twitter.com/p9ochBMY9r
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) April 8, 2026
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