Jian Zhao, an active-duty army supply sergeant stationed at a military base in Washington state, was accused of gathering classified hard drives and a computer taken from the US government to sell to unspecified individuals in China.

The thefts began in July 2024 and resulted in Zhao receiving at least US$15,000 in payment for the contraband.

He was charged by a grand jury on suspicion of conspiring to obtain and transmit national defence information to unauthorised individuals, as well as bribery and theft of government property.

According to the indictment, Zhao, with other accomplices, “did knowingly and unlawfully conspire… to obtain and transmit documents, writings, photographs, instruments, appliances, and notes relating to the national defence of the United States to individuals not entitled to receive it”.

Two other suspects, identified by the FBI as active-duty US soldier Li Tian and former soldier Ruoyu Duan, were also arrested Thursday on suspicion of theft of government property and bribery.

The FBI alleged Tian would “gather sensitive military information related to the US Army’s operational capabilities,” specifically regarding US military weapon systems, and sold it to Duan for an unspecified sum between November 2021 and December 2024.

“The defendants arrested today are accused of betraying our country, actively working to weaken the US’s defence capabilities and empowering our adversaries in China,” US attorney-general Pam Bondi said in a statement.

“They will face swift, severe, and comprehensive justice.”