Man Arrested For Attempting to Share Classified Defense Intelligence Information With Foreign Government

A Defense Intelligence Agency employee was arrested after allegedly trying to pass classified information to a foreign government in exchange for citizenship and ideological alignment.

Key Facts:

  • Nathan Laatsch, 28, was a top-secret-cleared IT specialist with the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) since 2019.
  • He was arrested on May 30 after attempting to share classified documents with someone he believed was a foreign agent.
  • The FBI began investigating Laatsch in March 2025 following a tip that he was willing to betray U.S. secrets.
  • He allegedly exfiltrated materials over several days, delivered them to a drop point, and requested foreign citizenship in return.
  • He was arrested after bringing more classified information to a second drop site monitored by the FBI.

The Rest of The Story:

Nathan Laatsch worked in the DIA’s Insider Threat Division, a role that gave him privileged access to America’s most sensitive secrets.

In March, the FBI received an email tip revealing someone had expressed a willingness to share classified information with a “friendly” foreign government.

The sender objected to the Trump administration’s values and claimed he had access to materials worth sharing.

Over the next two months, Laatsch communicated with an undercover FBI agent posing as a foreign intelligence official.

During that time, he transcribed sensitive information onto notepads and eventually delivered a thumb drive with Top Secret material to a public park in northern Virginia.

The FBI recovered the thumb drive and confirmed it contained documents marked Secret and Top Secret.

The message attached to the drive said it was a “decent sample size” to demonstrate the type of information Laatsch could offer.

Days later, he requested citizenship in exchange, saying, “I don’t expect things to improve [in America] in the long term.”

He said he wasn’t desperate for money, but wouldn’t refuse other forms of compensation.

After further exchanges, Laatsch returned with more classified data on May 30 to a second drop-off location.

FBI agents arrested him on the spot.

Commentary:

This isn’t a case of a misguided idealist or a whistleblower—this is a betrayal.

A man tasked with identifying threats to national security became one himself.

And while he claims his motives were ideological and not financial, the damage from even one leak can ripple across military operations, intelligence partnerships, and diplomatic relations.

What makes this even more troubling is his position: Laatsch worked in the Insider Threat Division—he knew exactly how damaging insider leaks are, how they’re tracked, and how they undermine national defense.

He used that knowledge to orchestrate his betrayal.

The idea that a 28-year-old civilian employee would casually offer to hand over Top Secret documents for a foreign passport should alarm every American, regardless of politics.

The cost of this kind of breach isn’t measured in bytes.

It’s measured in lives, trust, and national sovereignty.

If the DOJ’s account proves true in court, Laatsch deserves the maximum penalty allowed under the law.

Not just to punish him—but to send a message to every federal employee with access to classified information: Sell out your country, and we will find you.

We will arrest you.

And we will throw the book at you.

No government can function if loyalty is optional and espionage is seen as a legitimate form of protest.

If Laatsch was disillusioned with U.S. leadership, the proper avenue was resignation, not treason.

Citizenship in another country is no justification for handing over American secrets.

That’s not immigration—that’s espionage.

This isn’t just about one traitor.

It’s about restoring the public’s faith that our institutions will defend the republic—even from within.

The Bottom Line:

A DIA insider allegedly tried to sell out U.S. secrets in exchange for foreign citizenship.

If true, this is a textbook case of betrayal from within the intelligence community.

The DOJ must prosecute this case forcefully and publicly to protect national security and send a deterrent message to anyone considering a similar path.

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