Former Fort Bragg contractor charged with leaking military secrets
Source: Task & Purpose
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A former Fort Bragg contractor was arrested Tuesday and charged with leaking national defense information online. The Department of Justice said that Army contractor James Thomas Ashbacher, 37, He was charged with theft of government property and unlawfully transmitting and retaining national defense information.
Prosecutors alleged that Ashbacher photographed or took photos and videos showing military operations and kept some of write ups inside his home.
Starting in 2021, Ashbacher was employed by a private security and emergency management company which was contracted to work at an Army Special Operations Command installation in Fort Bragg, North Carolina. While employed there, he had Top Secret security clearance and Sensitive Compartmented Information access. The Army base is home to not only Army Special Operations Command but XVIII Airborne Corps and Army Western Hemisphere Command.
According to the Department of Justice, “Ashbacher photographed and removed without authorization videos and photographs containing images of classified military operations and transmitted the materials to a social media site. The classified materials were later re-posted by other users to a second social media site.
The Justice Department’s release also notes that after that, Ashbacher asked a different social media user to take down some of what had been re-shared, saying that he was “trying to do some damage control.”
Authorities searched Ashbacher’s home and found military award information. They also found night vision goggles that matched ones reported missing by an Army Special Operations Command unit.
The FBI is investigating the case, along with the Army Criminal Investigative Division.
Leaks of military information online can carry lengthy prison sentences. In 2023, an Air National Guard airman was arrested after leaking classified military information, including reports about the Russian war in Ukraine, online. The leaks gained more attention online after they were re-shared to other platforms. Jack Teixeira was sentenced in late 2024 to 15 years in prison.
The post Former Fort Bragg contractor charged with leaking military secrets appeared first on Task & Purpose.
Classification
Region
North America
Analytical Domain
Informational
Primary Category / Secondary Categories
Information Operations / Military Operations
SALUTE Report
Size
1 contractor
Activity
leaking national defense information online
Location
Fort Bragg · North Carolina
Unit
Army Special Operations Command
Time
2021 - present
Equipment
night vision goggles
Summary
James Thomas Ashbacher, a former contractor at Fort Bragg, was arrested for leaking national defense information online. He transmitted classified military materials to social media and was found in possession of military equipment, including night vision goggles. The FBI and Army Criminal Investigative Division are investigating the case, which began in 2021 when Ashbacher was employed with Top Secret clearance.
Key Facts
- James Thomas Ashbacher was arrested for leaking military secrets.
- He had Top Secret security clearance while working at Fort Bragg.
- Ashbacher transmitted classified materials to social media.
- Military equipment, including night vision goggles, was found at his home.
- The FBI is investigating the case.