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The US government has arrested an IT specialist employed by the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) for allegedly attempting to transmit national defense information to a foreign government. The arrest happened after the FBI received a tip that an individual offered to provide classified information to a “friendly foreign government.”According to federal prosecutors, Nathan Vilas Laatsch, 28 — who held a Top Secret security clearance and worked in the DIA’s Insider Threat Division since 2019 — repeatedly transcribed classified intelligence from his secure workstation and attempted to pass it to an undercover FBI agent posing as a foreign government official.
What the court documents reveal
Court documents reveal that Laatsch first reached out to the foreign government via an email in March 2025, expressing his willingness to share classified material because he did not “agree or align with the values of this administration.” In the email, he wrote that he was “willing to share classified information” that he had access to, including “completed intelligence products, some unprocessed intelligence, and other assorted classified documentation.”On May 1, Laatsch allegedly left a thumb drive in a northern Virginia park, which the FBI retrieved later.
Nathan Vilas Laatsch provided classified information
A press release by the Department of Justice (DOJ) said that the thumb drive contained Secret and Top Secret materials along with a message offering “a decent sample size” of intelligence products. He later expressed interest in receiving foreign citizenship in exchange for continuing to provide classified information. “Because he did not “expect[] things here to improve in the long term,” the release stated.Laatsch said that he was “not opposed to other compensation,” and was not in a position where he needed to seek “material compensation.”Between May 15 and May 27, Laatsch reportedly transcribed more intelligence, concealed it in his clothing, and attempted a second dead drop at a prearranged location. He was arrested on May 29 after the FBI took possession of the documents.Laatsch is expected to appear in federal court in the Eastern District of Virginia on Friday.The arrest was announced by top officials from the Justice Department, FBI, and U.S. Air Force. The FBI Washington Field Office is leading the investigation with assistance from the Air Force Office of Special Investigations and the DIA. Laatsch is charged with attempting to transmit national defense information under the Espionage Act.
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