Revealed in a press release put out by Trump's Department of Justice yesterday, an IT specialist for the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) was arrested for attempting to transmit national defense intelligence to an agent of a foreign government.
Nathan Vilas Laatsch, 28, of Alexandria, Virginia, had worked for the DIA’s Insider Threat Division since 2019 and held a top secret security clearance, according to the DOJ.
According to FOX 40, Laatsch came under suspicion in March after the FBI received a tip from someone claiming Laasitch had offered to provide intelligence to "friendly foreign government agencies." Thanks to his top secret security clearance, Laatsch had access to “completed intelligence products, some unprocessed intelligence, and other assorted classified documentation,” per the DOJ.
Officials claim that Laatsch wrote in the email that he did not “agree with or align with the values of this administration.” He then began communicating with an undercover FBI agent who he believed was an official of a foreign government, though the FBI and DOJ did not state which government he believed he was working with.
Shortly after communications started, Laatsch allegedly began transcribing classified information to a notepad at his desk, and over the course of approximately three days repeatedly moved the information from his workspace.
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According to court documents, on May 1, Laatsch dropped off the information off at a public park in Arlington after confirming he was ready to transfer the information. Officials say FBI surveillance watched as Laatsch dropped a thumb drive at their agreed-upon location.
Officials say the thumb drive contained a message from Laatsch and multiple typed
documents, each labeled according to their required security clearance such as “Secret” or “Top Secret.” The FBI said the message indicated this this was merely “a decent sample size” of the intelligence he has access to and was willing to provide.
On May 7, after Laatsch had learned that the thumb drive had been successfully retrieved, he reportedly messaged the FBI agent to demand compensation for what he’d provided. The following day, he stated he was interested in “citizenship in your country,” because he didn’t expect things in America “to improve in the long term.”
On May 14, the undercover FBI agent informed Laatsch that the “foreign government” he thought he was communicating with was ready for more information, and between May 15 and May 27 Laatsch allegedly transcribed several pages of classified information while at his workstation, folded the notes, and hid them in his clothing.
He was apprehended on May 29 while delivering the second cache of documents to the drop point.
FBI Director Kash Patel said the incident “underscores the persistent risk of insider threats.”
“Today, an IT specialist employed by the Defense Intelligence Agency was arrested for attempting to transmit classified national defense information to a foreign government,” Patel wrote in a statement, adding that “The FBI remains steadfast in protecting our national security and thanks our law enforcement partners for their critical support.”