Three U.S. Army soldiers, including two active-duty and one former, have been arrested for allegedly selling military secrets to buyers in China, according to federal authorities.

The Details: Two active-duty U.S. Army soldiers, Jian Zhao and Li Tian, along with former soldier Ruoyu Duan, were arrested Thursday after federal grand juries indicted them. Zhao is accused of conspiring to sell classified hard drives and sensitive military information to China, while Tian and Duan allegedly conspired to gather and sell U.S. Army operational capabilities data. Both indictments cite violations of their duties and the receipt of significant payments for the information.

The Indictment: From around July 2024 and “continuing through the present,” Zhao and others were accused of conspiring together “to obtain and transmit documents, writings, photographs, instruments, appliances and notes relating to the national defense of the United States,” the indictment says. Zhao, who managed over $55 million in army property, was accused of selling nearly two dozen classified hard drives labeled “Secret” or “Top Secret,” as well as sensitive U.S. military documents and information pertaining to High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) to buyers in China.

Key Quotes: “The defendants arrested today are accused of betraying our country, actively working to weaken America’s defense capabilities and empowering our adversaries in China,” U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement. “They will face swift, severe, and comprehensive justice.” FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement: “While bribery and corruption have thrived under China’s Communist Party, this behavior cannot be tolerated with our service members who are entrusted with sensitive military information, including national defense information.”