Two U.S. Army soldiers and a former soldier were arrested on Thursday in Washington State on serious charges of bribery and theft. They are accused of conspiring to obtain and sell sensitive government information, according to the Justice Department.
The soldiers are First Lieutenant Li Tian, who works as a health services administrator, and Sergeant Jian Zhao, a supply sergeant with the 17th Field Artillery Brigade. Both were stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord. The former soldier, Ruoyu Duan, is from Hillsboro, Oregon, and served in the Army from 2013 to 2017.
One indictment claims that Lieutenant Tian worked with Duan from November 2021 to December 2022 to secretly collect classified information on Army operations, including technical manuals. He allegedly gathered sensitive details about the Bradley and Stryker armored vehicles and sent this information to Duan in exchange for payment.
In a separate case, Sergeant Zhao is accused of trying to sell nearly two dozen hard drives, some labeled “SECRET” and “TOP SECRET,” to buyers in China. Prosecutors say he accepted payments totaling at least $15,000 starting in July 2024.
Attorney General Pam Bondi condemned the actions of the defendants, stating they betrayed the country and harmed national defense. She promised they would face serious consequences.
Lieutenant Tian and Duan are charged with conspiracy to commit an offense against the U.S., bribery of a public official, and theft of government property. Sergeant Zhao faces charges of conspiracy to gather national defense information, bribery of a public official, and theft of government property.
In an encrypted message from October, Zhao mentioned having access to very sensitive documents, including one related to HIMARS, a truck-mounted multiple-rocket launcher. He priced this document at $3,000 and negotiated with a buyer over the cost of two documents, settling on $6,500.
The Justice Department noted that the documents Zhao sold contained sensitive information about military readiness and rocket systems, especially concerning potential conflicts with China. The specific contents of the hard drives sold by Zhao were not detailed in the indictment.
Brig. Gen. Rhett R. Cox, who leads the Army Counterintelligence Command, emphasized that these arrests highlight the ongoing foreign intelligence threats facing the Army and the nation.