UPDATE:
Korebein Schultaz, pled guilty to all charges against him.
“This Soldier swore an oath to faithfully discharge his duties, to include protecting national defense information. Not only did he fail in his sworn duty, but he placed personal gain above his duty to our country and disclosed information that could give advantage to a foreign nation, putting his fellow Soldiers in jeopardy,” said Brigadier General Rhett R. Cox, Commanding General of the Army Counterintelligence Command. “Army Counterintelligence Command, with our partners at the FBI, Department of Justice, and the greater intelligence community will ruthlessly pursue those who commit acts such as these. Let this case serve as a warning: if any member of the Army, past or present, is asked for classified or sensitive information, they should report it to the appropriate authorities within 24 hours or be held fully accountable for their inaction.”
A sentencing hearing is scheduled for January 23, 2025.
The Chinese espionage machine is alive and well. Based on two recent cases, the U.S. counterintelligence apparatus is equally alive and well. In early-March 2024 we saw the arrest of a U.S. Army soldier, Korbein Schultz, at Fort Campbell, for providing information to a foreign nation (China). In late-May we saw Alexander Yuk Ching Ma, enter a guilty plea to the 2020 indictment of having been a part of a conspiracy to commit espionage.
Former Army Soldier Shares classified Information
Korbein Schultz is a Sergeant and Intelligence Analyst assigned to the 506th Infantry Battalion, United States Army. His position, according to the indictment was that of “Classified Documents Custodian and Battalion Key control custodian.”
The Department of Justice (DOJ) tells us that Schultz, who was arrested on March 7, was recruited by a foreign national posing as a geopolitical consultant and was tasked to provide information on several different U.S. military weapons systems, to include the classified information associated with the systems. In addition, he was tasked with providing documents on the lessons learned from Russia’s war with Ukraine and how the U.S. would help defend Taiwan.
The systems which Schultz was requested to provide information included: HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System) and hypersonic equipment. He was also asked to provide the results of various military drills and operations, as well as studies produced by the U.S. military on China. Apart from the tasking, Schultz did provide his recruiter with Air Force Tactics Techniques and Procedures manuals for the F22-A Raptor, fifth-generation fighter aircraft, for intercontinental ballistic missiles, and the HH-60W helicopter (combat rescue helicopter).
Over the course of his collaboration, June 2022 through early-2024, Schultz was paid 14 times for information provided. The monies paid to Schultz totaled $42,000. The cover used by his recruiter was that of a Hong Kong based, geopolitical consultant.
Every insider risk manager is asking, “How did Schultz exfiltrate his information?” The answer is: The old fashion way. He downloaded information from the government computer system to which he had authorized access.
Shultz is set for a jury trial on August 13, 2024, in Nashville, at the Middle District of Tennessee.
Former CIA Officer Supports China
Alexander Yuk Ching Ma is well known to Clearance Jobs readers. When he was arrested, we did a deep dive into the criminal complaint which highlighted his actions, “China Uses Former CIA Officer to Penetrate FBI.” On May 24 Ma “pleaded guilty to conspiring to gather and deliver national defense information to the PRC.”
Ma’s co-conspirator we learned was his older brother, David Ma. His identity was revealed by reviewing Ma’s attorney’s filings concerning Ma’s competency to stand trial. David Ma, who was also a CIA officer from 1967 through 1983 and Ma a CIA officer from 1982-1989 both served as operations officers and were assigned to postings in the Far East. In the criminal complaint the depth of their criminal acts was outlined, to include identifying undercover CIA officers and their operations.
In 2003, Ma applied for work at the FBI and was hired from August 2004 through October 2012. In the plea agreement it is detailed how Ma’s hiring was a controlled operation, that he was assigned to an off-site location for the entire eight-year stint. That said, it was not until 2019 when the FBI used a false-flag approach on Ma and confirmed his clandestine cooperation.
One may surmise that a U.S. asset provided to the U.S. intelligence/law enforcement the historical detail and video of the Ma brothers meeting in Hong Kong where $50,000 was paid for the March 2001 comprehensive debrief.
As part of the plea agreement, Ma, who is currently 70 years of age, has agreed to a 10-year period of incarceration, with a minimum of five-years supervised release. He has also assigned to the United States any proceeds or profits which he may obtain in connection with any book, magazine article, publication, move, screenplay, etc.
Update: He was sentenced on September 11, 2024 to 10 years in prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release. He is 71 years of age. Ma worked at the CIA from 1982 until 1989. In 2001 he agreed to work with the Chinese MSS, and together with his brother provided historical operational information on CIA modus operandi and then agreed to penetrate the FBI on behalf of China. He was hired as a translator by Honolulu FBI in 2004, working on counterintelligence cases until 2012.
