Top Secret Clearance Holder Charged With Leaking Classified National Defense Information
On Apr. 7, the FBI arrested Courtney Williams; on Apr. 8, Williams was indicted for allegedly sharing classified national defense information to unauthorized individuals.
From 2010 to 2016, Williams was associated with a Special Military Unit (SMU). There, she possessed Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information security clearance. Allegedly, between 2022 and 2025, Williams communicated with a journalist through phone calls (spanning 10 hours) and text messages (totaling more than 180 messages).
In these conversations, Williams disclosed secret national defense information to support the journalist’s upcoming article and book. In addition, Williams also posted secret information on social media.
Upon publication of the journalist’s article and book, Williams expressed concern over “the amount of classified information being disclosed.” In a message to a third party, Williams said she was “probably going to jail for life.”
Investigation of this case is led by the FBI Charlotte Field Office.
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